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.

 

Vance refuses to set red lines over bigotry at Turning Point USA’s convention

Vice President JD Vance acknowledged the controversies that dominated the Turning Point conference, but he did not define any boundaries for the conservative movement besides patriotism.

CBS News chief Bari Weiss pulls ’60 Minutes’ story, sparking outcry

CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss pulled a 60 Minutes segment on allegations of abuses at an El Salvador detention center where the Trump administration sent hundreds of Venezuelan migrants.

Lawmakers threaten Attorney General Bondi with contempt over incomplete Epstein files

The Justice Department is defending its initial release of documents related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, saying lawyers are still going through them to ensure victims are protected.

How a power outage in Colorado caused U.S. official time be 4.8 microseconds off

Officials said the error is likely be too minute for the general public to clock it, but it could affect applications such as critical infrastructure, telecommunications and GPS signals.

Scientists say they have discovered 20 new species deep in the Pacific Ocean

Researchers retrieved reef monitoring devices that had been placed in deep coral reefs in Guam. The devices were placed up to 330 feet below the surface.

Shopping for pricy ACA health plans? Some cheaper options come with trade-offs

Without a fix from Congress, costs for many people who buy health care on the Affordable Care Act marketplace have gone up. Here's what's to know about cheaper choices — and pitfalls to be aware of.

More Front Page Coverage