Canadian writer Canisia Lubrin wins $150K Carol Shields literary prize
Writer Canisia Lubrin, known for her poetry, has won this year’s Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, which honors women and nonbinary storytellers in the U.S. and Canada.
Lubrin’s debut fiction work, 2024’s Code Noir, is a collection made up of 59 short stories – jumping off of Louis XIV’s “Black Code,” which established the rules of slavery in France and the French colonies.
“Canisia Lubrin’s prose is polyphonic,” wrote the prize judges in a statement announcing Lubrin’s win. “The stories invite you to immerse yourself in both the real and the speculative, in the intimate and in sweeping moments of history. Riffing on the Napoleonic decree, Lubrin retunes the legacies of slavery, colonialism and violence.”
The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction is relatively new. Named after the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, it aims to increase literary visibility for books written by women and nonbinary authors. The prize has drawn attention for the hefty check its winners receive – $150,000. In comparison, National Book Award winners receive $10,000, Pulitzer winners receive $15,000, and Booker Prize winners receive £50,000 (about $66,000). Shields prize winners also get a five-night stay at Fogo Island.
Lubrin beat out finalists Dominique Fortier, whose work Pale Shadows was translated by Rhonda Mullins, Miranda July (All Fours), Sarah Manguso (Liars), and Aube Rey Lescure (River East, River West) for the win.
Greetings from Guhagar, India, where newly hatched turtles get some help into the sea
Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world.
Israel is blasting through Gaza City neighborhoods, but people have nowhere to go
Israel's military says it has gained "operational control" of 40% of Gaza City and plans to intensify its attacks in a large-scale ground offensive to fully occupy the city.
Horror, rom-coms and ‘Hamilton’ are all in theaters this weekend
This weekend, Hamilton is in theaters in honor of its anniversary, a new Conjuring horror film opens, and Dylan O'Brien stars in a twisty story about grief.
The U.S. added only 22,000 jobs last month, showing cracks in the labor market
The U.S. job market showed more signs of weakness Friday, as the Labor Department reported just 22,000 jobs added last month. Revised figures show the economy lost jobs in June, and the unemployment rate inched up to 4.3%.
Why solar flares are way hotter than researchers thought
The hottest parts of the sun are its solar flares, and a new study suggests these flares could be more than six times hotter than scientists used to believe.
Ivey, Ledbetter go to court to try and allow voucher students to participate in athletics
Gov. Kay Ivey and House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter filed the complaint in Montgomery Circuit Court against the Alabama High School Athletic Association. They are asking a judge to block the association's ruling on eligibility and pave the way for the students to participate in athletics this year.