Tales of academia on shortlist for Writers’ Trust/McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize

TORONTO – A dark comedy about academia and a tale that revolves around a mother’s deathbed are among the finalists for the Writers’ Trust/McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize.

The $10,000 award recognizes the year’s best short story by an emerging Canadian writer.

Shashi Bhat, originally from Richmond Hill, Ont., earns a spot for “Mute,” published in The Dalhousie Review. It’s described as “a darkly funny take on academia, literary snobbery, and popular culture.”

Greg Brown of Nanaimo, B.C., earns a spot for his intimate family drama “Love,” which revolves around a mother’s deathbed. It was published in Pulp Literature.

Also in the running is Liz Harmer of Hamilton for “Never Prosper,” published in The New Quarterly. That tale examines 29 minutes of a professor’s life.

Each finalist receives $1,000, and the publication that originally published the winning entry receives $2,000.

The winner will be announced Nov. 7 at the Writers’ Trust Awards ceremony held in Toronto’s Glenn Gould Studio. Seven national literary awards and more than $260,000 in prize money will also be presented during the ceremony.

“The Journey Prize Stories,” a collection of stories that made the prize’s longlist, will be available Sept. 25.