The Writers’ Union of Canada and the Gleed family are pleased to announce the jury for the $10,000 Danuta Gleed Literary Award, Canada’s pre-eminent award for the best first Canadian collection of short fiction in the English language, now celebrating its 18th year.
This year’s jury comprises authors Shani Mootoo, Susan Swan, and John Vigna.
A short list will be announced in early May 2015, with the winner and two finalists being named in late May 2015, in conjunction with The Writers’ Union of Canada’s Annual General Meeting. The winner receives $10,000 and each of the two finalists is awarded $500.
To be eligible, books must be first collections of short fiction written by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and published in Canada in the English language in the 2014 calendar year. The deadline for submissions is January 31, 2015. Eligible titles may be submitted by publishers according to submission guidelines.
ABOUT THE JURY
Shani Mootoo is the much-loved author of the novels Cereus Blooms at Night, which was shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and longlisted for the Man Booker Prize; He Drown She in the Sea, which was longlisted for the Dublin IMPAC Literary Award; Valmiki’s Daughter, which was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize; and her latest, Moving Forward Sideways Like a Crab which was also longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. Mootoo was born in Ireland and grew up in Trinidad. She immigrated to Vancouver more than thirty years ago, and now lives near Toronto.
Susan Swan’s critically acclaimed fiction has been published in 20 countries and her impact on the Canadian literary and political scene has been far-reaching. Her newest novel, The Western Light, was picked as one of the top ten fiction and non-fiction 2012 books by the Ontario Library Association. Swan’s novel, What Casanova Told Me, was a finalist for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. Swan’s other novels include The Wives of Bath, The Biggest Modern Woman in the World (Finalist for the Books in Canada First Novel Award and the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction), and The Last of the Golden Girls.
John Vigna’s first book of fiction, Bull Head, was published to critical acclaim in Canada and the US in 2012 (forthcoming in France by Éditions Albin Michel). It was selected by Quill & Quire as an editor’s pick of the year and was a finalist for the Danuta Gleed Literary Award. Vigna was named one of 10 writers to watch by CBC Books. He received his M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia and is an alumnus of the Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa. He is a Lecturer at UBC's Creative Writing Program.
ABOUT THE AWARD
The Danuta Gleed Literary Award was created as a celebration of the life of Danuta Gleed, a writer whose short fiction won several awards before her death in 1996. Danuta Gleed’s first collection of short fiction, One of the Chosen, was posthumously published by BuschekBooks. The Award is made possible through a generous donation from John Gleed in memory of his late wife, and is administered by The Writers’ Union of Canada.
The Award was first given in 1998 for books published in 1997. The 2015 awards ceremony, for books published in 2014, will mark the 18th anniversary of the prize.
ABOUT THE WRITERS’ UNION OF CANADA
The Writers' Union of Canada is our country's national organization representing professional authors of books. Founded in 1973, the Union is dedicated to fostering writing in Canada, and promoting the rights, freedoms, and economic well-being of all writers.
For additional information
Siobhan O’Connor, Associate Director
The Writers’ Union of Canada
416-703-8982 x 222 or
soconnor@writersunion.ca
