The Commonwealth Writers' Prize has released the Canada and Caribbean regional shortlist for the 2011 Prize, and, well, it's a sweep for Canada. Not one book from a Caribbean country made the list for Best Book or Best First Book.
The shortlisted writers for the Canada and Caribbean Best Book are:
The Sky is Falling by Caroline Adderson (Canada) Room by Emma Donahue (Canada) The Master of Happy Endings by Jack Hodgins (Canada) In The Fabled East by Adam Lewis Schroeder (Canada) The Death of Donna Whalen by Michael Winter (Canada) Mr. Shakespeare's Bastard by Richard B. Wright (Canada)
The shortlisted writers for the Canada and Caribbean Best First Book are:
Bird Eat Bird by Katrina Best (Canada) Doing Dangerously Well by Carole Enahoro (Canada) Mennonites Don't Dance by Darcie Friesen Hossack (Canada) Light Lifting by Alexander MacLeod (Canada) The Cake is for the Party by Sarah Selecky (Canada) Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco (Canada)
The winners from Canada
and the Caribbean will be announced on March 3 and go on to compete against writers from across the Commonwealth. The overall winners will be named at the Sydney Writers' Festival May 16-22. The other regions are Africa, South Asia and Europe, and South East Asia and Pacific.
The pan-Commonwealth winners earn £10,000 for Best Book and £5,000 for Best New Book.