The Writers’ Union of Canada is pleased to announce the short list of nominees for the 28th annual Danuta Gleed Literary Award. The Award recognizes the best first collection of short fiction by a Canadian author published in 2024 in the English language. The Award consists of cash prizes for the three best first collections, with a first prize of $10,000 and two additional prizes of $1,000 each.
The jury this year comprised authors Francine Cunningham, Kim Fu, and D.A. Lockhart, who determined the short list from 33 collections submitted, some by seasoned writers, others by authors being published for the first time. Those finalists are:
Vincent Anioke, Perfect Little Angels (Arsenal Pulp Press)
Billy-Ray Belcourt, Coexistence (Hamish Hamilton)
Shashi Bhat, Death by a Thousand Cuts (McClelland & Stewart)
Canisia Lubrin, Code Noir (Alfred A. Knopf)
Nicola Winstanley, Smoke (Buckrider Books)
The winners will be announced in early June.
The Award was created as a celebration of the life of Danuta Gleed, a writer whose short fiction won several awards before her death in December 1996. Danuta Gleed’s first collection of short fiction, One of the Chosen, was posthumously published by BuschekBooks. The Award is made possible through a generous donation from John Gleed, in memory of his late wife, and is administered by The Writers’ Union of Canada.
Jury Comments on the Finalists for the 2024 Danuta Gleed Literary Award
Vincent Anioke, Perfect Little Angels (Arsenal Pulp Press)
The stories in Perfect Little Angels demonstrate remarkable range and depth. Each life contained within is immersive and unexpected, their desires sharply felt, the larger thematic concerns — the nature of violence, fragile masculinity, tradition, and class — grounded with vivid specificity. This is a debut from a writer already in full command of his power.
Billy-Ray Belcourt, Coexistence (Hamish Hamilton)
Coexistence is a fresh, modern, philosophically resonant collection, full of wry and poignant observations that illuminate the world around us. Billy-Ray Belcourt writes with startling intellectual acuity and emotional honesty, in a finely tuned voice that is uniquely his own.
Shashi Bhat, Death by a Thousand Cuts (McClelland & Stewart)
Death by a Thousand Cuts is a consistently entertaining and strongly written collection, filled with well-drawn characters and interesting, page-turning premises. Shashi Bhat offers a rare, intimate understanding of the painful absurdity of our internet-based lives and the betrayals of the body.
Canisia Lubrin, Code Noir (Alfred A. Knopf)
Code Noir is a thoughtful, insightful, experimental, pointed collection. These stories show both tremendous heart and the skillful craft of its author, a masterful layering and blurring of history recorded and history lived. This book will no doubt inspire other writers to delve deep, to be playful and bold, to challenge the reader and the status quo.
Nicola Winstanley, Smoke (Buckrider Books)
With unforgettable characters that come alive off the page, Smoke will stay with you long after reading. Linked by young voices struggling to find their way in the world, these screams of youthful angst ring heartbreakingly true. This collection is seamlessly constructed by a talented hand.
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The Writers’ Union of Canada (TWUC) is the national organization of professionally published writers. TWUC was founded in 1973 to work with governments, publishers, booksellers, and readers to improve the conditions of Canadian writers. Now over 2,800 members strong, TWUC advocates on behalf of writers’ collective interests, and delivers value to members through advocacy, community, and information. TWUC believes in a thriving, diverse Canadian culture that values and supports writers.
For additional information:
John Degen, Chief Executive Officer
The Writers’ Union of Canada
jdegen@writersunion.ca
DATE: April 30, 2025
