Alexis, Hay, Smith make shortlist for Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize

TORONTO – Andre Alexis, Elizabeth Hay and Russell Smith are among the authors shortlisted for the $25,000 Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize.

The Trinidad-born, Ottawa-bred Alexis makes the cut with “Fifteen Dogs” (Coach House Books), also longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize.

The Ottawa-based Hay is in the running with “His Whole Life” (McClelland & Stewart), while Toronto’s Smith is shortlisted for his short story collection “Confidence” (Biblioasis). That book is also longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize.

Also shortlisted are two debut novelists: Pamela Mordecai of Kitchener, Ont., for “Red Jacket” (TAP Books), and Vancouver’s John Vaillant for “The Jaguar’s Children” (Knopf Canada).

The Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize recognizes the author of the year’s best novel or short story collection. The winner will be announced Nov. 3 in Toronto.

The Writers’ Trust of Canada says finalists were chosen by a three-person jury who read 127 books from 50 publishers. The four runners-up get $2,500.

The charitable organization announced the five finalists Tuesday at a Toronto bookstore, where they also revealed three finalists for the $10,000 Writers’ Trust/McClelland and Stewart Journey Prize.

That award recognizes new and developing writers for the best short story first published in a Canadian literary journal.

Contenders include Fredericton’s Emily Bosse for “Last Animal Standing On Gentleman’s Farm,” published in The Fiddlehead; Deirdre Dore of Nakusp, B.C., for “The Wise Baby,” published in Geist; and Vancouver’s Anna Ling Kaye for “Red Egg and Ginger,” from Prairie Fire.

Runners-up for this prize receive $1,000, while the journal that originally published the winning entry gets $2,000.

The Nov. 3 gala will also present the Latner Writers’ Trust Poetry Prize, worth $25,000; the Matt Cohen Award, worth $20,000; the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People, worth $20,000; and the Writers’ Trust Engel/Findley Award, worth $25,000.

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Online: http://www.writerstrust.com