12 emerging Canadian writers make 2019 longlist for $10K Journey Prize for short fiction

Twelve Canadian writers on the rise are on the longlist for the 2019Writers' Trust of Canada/McClelland & StewartJourneyPrize.

The annual $10,000 award is given to the best short fiction published in a Canadian magazine. It is geared towriters in the early stages of their careers.

Writers on the 2019 longlist include Ottawa poet and authorBen Ladouceur, who won theWriters' Trust of Canada's $4,000 Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ emerging writers in 2018,and Whitby, Ont.-based poetCanisia Lubrin, author of the 2018 Raymond Souster Award finalistVoodooHypothesis.

Troy Sebastian,a Ktunaxa writer living in Lekwungen territory, is on the longlist for his storytax ni pikak a long time ago, published in The Walrus. The piece was longlisted for the 2018 CBC Short Story Prize.

Two otherformerCBC Literary Prize finalists are also on thelonglist:Victoria writer Jason JobinforThey Would Pour Us into Boxespublished by EVENT and Sarah Christina Brown forLand of Living Skiespublished by PRISM International.

• 3 emerging writers to contend for $10K RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for short fiction

The 2019jury consists ofshort story author CarleighBaker (aVancouver Book Awardwinner and finalist for the 2012 Writers' Trust/McClelland & StewartJourney Prize),novelistCatherineHernandez(a finalist for the 2017 Toronto Book Awardfor the novel Scarborough) andpoet and authorJoshua Whitehead(whosedebut novelJonnyAppleseedwas onthe shortlist for the 2018 Governor General's Literary Award for fiction).

• Why Carleigh Baker believes ambiguous endings aren't bad endings
• Catherine Hernandez: 2 things you need to learn in order to be a writer
• Why Joshua Whitehead wants to recentre Indigenous characters with his cyberpunk-infused poetry

Here's the complete list of longlisted stories:

• Land of Living Skies by Sarah Christina Brown (PRISM international)
• Every True Artistby Kai Conradi (The Malahat Review)
• run Is Heavenby Francesca Ekwuyasi(GUTS Magazine)
• They Would Pour Us into Boxesby Jason Jobin(EVENT)
• Waiting for Adnan byHajera Khaja(Joyland Magazine)
• A Boy of Good Breedingby Ben Ladouceur(PRISM international)
• PookabyAnglique Lalonde(PRISM international)
• Candidateby Michael LaPointe(The Walrus)
• No ID or We Could Be Brothersby Canisia Lubrin (Brick)
• The Fish and the DragonsbySamantha Jade Macpherson (The Fiddlehead)
• Tax Ni Pikak (A Long Time Ago)by Troy Sebastian / Nupqu akam(The Walrus)
• Monstersby Leanne Toshiko Simpson (Release Any Words Stuck Inside of You)

The shortlist will be announced on Sept. 4, 2019. The winner will be announced on Nov. 5, 2019in Toronto.

The 2018 Writers' Trust/McClelland& Stewart Journey Prizewinner was Shashi Bhatfor her short storyMute.

Past winners include Colette Langlois, Yann Martel, Alissa York and Yasuko Thanh.