American-born Canadian author Carol Shields is best known for award winning novels The Stone Diaries (1993), Larry's Party (1997), Unless (2002) although she also wrote plays, short stories and non-fiction. In 2023 an award was created in her memory to 'celebrate creativity and excellence in fiction by women and non-binary writers in Canada and the United States.' Past winners were:
- 2024 - Brotherless Night by VV Ganeshananthan
- 2023 - When We Were Sisters by Fatimah Asghar
Now in its third year, the longlist has been revealed with the following titles:
A twenty-something artist wakes one morning to discover she is deaf in her right ear. With the potential for total deafness looming, she records her year - who she meet, what she does - to make sense of what is happening for her. Callahan is a New York based writer, filmmaker and musician. She teaches at Columbia University. The Hearing Test is her first novel.
V Efua Prince - Kin: Practically True Stories
Kin is a tree that shelters women seeking respite during family-making. In this series of short stories, the labour of women is explored, observing women's lives through time. V Efua Prince is a professor of African American Studies and the author of Burnin' Down the House: Home in African American Literature.
In this novel, Anne is an amateur historian who is obsessed with 1600s England. She has stumbled across a memoir that tells of two survivors in a village ravaged by the plague, and what happens to this pair after the event. Fleming is an author of short stories, novels, poetry, and children's books. She teaches creative writing at the University of British Columbia.
Dominque Fortier - Pale Shadows
Translated by Rhonda Mullins, this novel tells the story of three women who sought to compile and publish the poetry of Emily Dickinson after her death. Fortier is a French-Canadian author and award-winning translator.
An artist leaves her family in Los Angeles to drive across the country for a work trip but only makes it as far as a motel twenty minutes away. Consumed by her fear of life after menopause, she sets out to explore her sexual fantasies before it is too late. All Fours was also recently longlisted for the 2025 Women's Prize for Fiction. July is on a roll! My review is available on this blog.
Mubanga Kalimamukwento - Obligations to the Wounded
This collection of short stories explores womanhood in Zambia and for Zambian women living abroad. Despite the difference between the women and girls in these tales, they all share a common cultural heritage and homeland. Kalimamukwento is a Zambian attorney and writer based in the USA. Her first novel was The Mourning Bird.
Oonya Kempadoo - Naniki
Montreal-based, English, Guyanese and Granadian author Kempadoo's novel is about the Caribbean Sea and its shape-shifting sea beings. The Naniki are active spirits or animal avatars who are tasked with sourcing First People's knowledge.
Rachel Kushner - Creation Lake
Undercover agent Sadie Smith is sent to infiltrate a commune of eco-activists in France. She meets the commune's charismatic leader Bruno Lacombe, who seeks to return society to the ancient past. Shortlisted for the Booker in 2024, Kushner is nest known for her internationally best selling novels The Mars Room and The Flamethrowers.
In 1685 France's King Louis XIV signed a set of historical decrees known as the "Code Noir" which set the conditions for slavery in French colonies. This collection of short stories explore these decrees in genre-bending tales. Lubrin is based in Whitby, Ontario and is nest known for her books Voodoo Hypothesis and The Dyzgraphxst.
Sarah Manguso - Liars
Aspiring writer Jane meets filmmaker John and their relationship appears to be all she could ever desire. After a few years of marriage and motherhood, her creative passions are put on hold while she raises their family and supports his career. Manguso is the author of nine books, best known for her novel Very Cold People.
In the midst of a heatwave in the summer of 2020, the sound of cicadas is the backdrop to Husha's mourning her mother's death. Sheltering from COVID in a lakeside cabin in remote Ontario, Husha cares for her ailing grandfather and is joined by her ex-partner. Together they discover her mother's writing. Vancouver based McKeen is also the author of Tear.
Julia Phillips - Bear
Sam and her sister Elena were born and raised on an island off the coast of Washington. Both women work in service of the wealthy, Sam on the island ferry and Elena at the golf club bar. One night Sam spots a bear and is terrified and wants to leave the island, but Elena does not. Phillips is the author of Disappearing Earth.
Fourteen year old Alva is living in Shanghai in 2007. Her mother is a Caucasian American, but she never knew her Chinese father. Alva struggles when her mother marries Lu Fang, a rich landlord. Lescure is a French-Chinese writer. She has written for many publications, but River East, River West is her debut novel. It was longlisted for the 2024 Women's Prize for Fiction.
O.O. Sangoyomi - Masquerade
Set in a reimagined 15th century West Africa, this novel tells the tale of one woman's fight for freedom. Ododo's hometown of Timbuktu has been conquered by a warrior king and the conditions for women get worse. Nigerian American author Sangoyomi is a graduate of Princeton. Masquerade is her debut novel.
Hijacking classic works of philosophy, Wahl applies Wittgenstein, Benthem, Zeno and more to the cause of love in this collection of short stories. She asks: Why is it so hard to make the first move? How do we find the person we will love? If you finally find a person to love, how do you convince them to love you back? Based in Tuscon, Arizona, Wahl is a writer and documentary film producer.
The shortlist will be revealed on 3 April 2025 and the winner on 1 May 2025. The winner received $150,000 USD while the four shortlisted finalist receive $12,500 each. If the winner is translated, the author receives $100,000 USD and the translator $50,000.