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Keriann is a primatologist and author of Chasing Lemurs: My Journey into the Heart of Madagascar. In selecting her for this honor, Deborah Campbell, winner of the Hilary Weston Prize for A Disappearance in Damascus, wrote as follows:
"Writer and primatologist Keriann McGoogan combines a passion for threatened wildlife with an equal concern for the people whose lives intersect with it. Working in some of the remotest places on earth, she shows courage and resourcefulness in the face of profound obstacles, bringing back fascinating insights into culture, history, the consequences of resource extraction, and the primates whose lives hang in the balance. Combining fast-paced narrative with deeply researched observations, McGoogan’s writing is both an inspiration to anyone embarking on challenging fieldwork and a captivating read."
In writing Chasing Lemurs, Keriann drew on her 19 months of living and working in Madagascar, when she spent 12-hour days following groups of lemurs. She volunteers as a board member for Planet Madagascar, a not-for-profit that aims to conserve the island’s unique biodiversity and help the local Malagasy community. In accepting the Writers' Trust award, she spoke of writing a women-and-science-centred nonfiction book -- that's the big one she will work on with Campbell -- and a Young Adult novel, nearing completion, based mostly in Madagascar.
You can read more -- and even catch a video -- by heading here.
