Exciting news! “Pooka” by Angélique Lalonde, published in PRISM 56.4, has won the 2019 Writers’ Trust McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize. The Journey Prize is Canada’s top recognition for short fiction by emerging writers.
The Journey Prize jury, Carleigh Baker, Catherine Hernandez, and Joshua Whitehead, write of “Pooka”:
“Deftly weaving explorations of identity, isolation, and displacement with colourful and unexpected imagery, Lalonde tells a powerful story of life on the precipice. There is fear here, and an inescapable loneliness, but there is also a celebration of resilience that utterly defines this moment in literature, and society in general. Told in clean, efficient prose, Pooka’s story is both universal and deeply personal, with surprising twists and moments of dark humour that make it truly unforgettable.”
Two other PRISM stories, “A Boy of Good Breeding” by Ben Ladouceur (PRISM 56.4) and “Land of Living Skies” by Sarah Christina Brown (PRISM 56.3) were longlisted for the prize.
The Journey Prize Stories 31 anthology, which includes all twelve longlisted stories, is available here.
Please join us in celebrating Angélique and this incredible story!