A book that serves as a time capsule of the Vernon area's devastating 2021 wildfire season has received an international award.

Smoke and Ash: Reflections on the 2021 Vernon B.C. Area Fires, was published in 2022. The 60-page book chronicles the White Rock Lake wildfire and its effects on the area. It was honoured with a medal for best overall design by the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, an international competition based in Washington.

Heather Clay designed the book, with backing from Virginia Dansereau and Sue Urquhart, who solicited and selected photos, quotes, paintings and poems from community members.

The book depicts observations and experiences during the White Rock Lake wildfire as it swept through the area of Westside Road, destroying 80 homes and one business, and forcing hundreds to evacuate. 

The book had humble beginnings, as the women had initially planned to produce a 12-15 page chapbook of their own experiences. But as they were producing the booklet, they realized the scope would be too limited and that the whole community should be given a voice. After they put out an ad requesting photos, paintings and poems, material started pouring in. 

"People were so traumatized by the blackened days seared with red flames they wanted to see a record of it," said Dansereau. 

The second humble beginnings of the book regarded a lack of funds. A chapbook can be homemade, but photos and written experiences required enclosure and style. Four private parties and 10 local businesses stepped in with enough donations to print a major portion of the 1,100 books.

Clay, a skilled technician, accepted material piece by piece, which she matched and re-matched. She also came up with the title of the book, designed a word cloud and wrote the introduction.

"The most challenging task was placing the outstanding collection of graphics and narratives in a way that showcased each of the 40 selected artists and writers," said Clay. "The simple yet powerful beauty of photos and paintings opposite poetry and prose was an element that worked well.鈥�

Clay credits 17-year-old Anika Deetlef for the cover painting that depicts her family's evacuation, and Anne Clarke for the smoky photo in the background. Trent Dansereau of Wayside provided advice on cover bleed and  background, and Wayside's print shop topped it off with colour production and sturdy binding.

But self-publishing isn't easy, even with so much community support.

鈥淟ike other independent artists, many Indie book publishers face challenges that the industry giants don鈥檛 experience. The Indies have to work much harder to get their books into reader鈥檚 hands鈥�. They aim to stand out from the crowd of millions of books in print," said Catherine Goulet, founder and co-chair of the Next Generation Indie Awards.

From discussion to production, the book was produced over a period of six months. 

The North Westside Fire and Rescue society and the Okanagan Indian Band Recovery Fund are the recipients of the entire proceeds of the book. So far, $10,000 has been allocated with another $3,000 on the way.

Smoke and Ash is available at a number of local retail outlets, listed at . It can also be ordered by contacting smokeandash21@gmail.com.