The 2018 Sunburst longlist is up, and I’m on it again–this time for my short story “Yellowcat”, a sort of literary horror story that found a home with Grain Magazine. It’s actually not available to read online: Grain is a print-only magazine, and a lovely one, which you should definitely consider buying. Other people on this year’s longlist include so many wonderful fellow travelers, including Kari Maaren, Rati Mehrotra, Sandra Kasturi, Kate Heartfield, Kate Story, Fonda Lee, Lesley Livingston and Terri Favro: all fantastic writers with whom I’m so grateful to share a community and the occasional drink. It’s been ten years since I began writing (!) and every time something goes well for me, a nice review, an award or nomination, I feel humbled by the quality of the work I see around me, joyful to be considered in the same breath, and delighted by the many organizations and individuals dedicated to raising the profile of the work we do. To all of you who read, review, share, post, and talk about stories: thank you! […]
Still riding that win…
Yes, that’s me, accepting my Sunburst Award from chair Rebecca Simkin (who is wonderful even apart from the fact that she has just handed me a medal and a cheque). I am, once again, so thrilled to be honoured this way. The other works and writers who have been recognized with this award are beyond amazing! Since I believe in celebrating wins when we get’em, I wore my medal all night at the bar. (I may or may not have worn it to bed.) This win is a very happy ending for Spells of Blood and Kin. It’s not totally an ending, of course–it remains in print and on sale in stores–but unless there’s a movie deal or something (hi, producers! You’re all reading this, right?) it will take a back seat to newer works. Some of those newer works will also be written by me (uh, not right away, but watch this space). I won’t be a debut novelist next time around. I’ll be a grizzled veteran (not a metaphor…you should see how much grey hair I have now). I can’t wait. 2017 has treated a lot of us roughly, I have to say, but I’m coming out of […]
2017 Sunburst Awards
I started writing Spells of Blood and Kin ages ago: 2008, the year I attended the Viable Paradise writing workshop. Nine years. Nine years ago, I had just lost my father. I was trying to write something light, something to distract myself from loss and difficulty. I should have known I didn’t work that way, but it took me a while to understand. When I did, the book I ended up writing was pretty different. Today, I won the Sunburst Award for that book. In the jury’s statement, one bit really stood out to me:“Humphrey’s use of a real, contemporary Canadian setting and her refusal to allow her characters any easy victories set this novel apart from a field of strong competitors.” Italics mine. I was going to say easy victories aren’t a thing I understand, but I do understand that this is a matter of perspective and privilege. I also understand that the victories that we treasure are the ones for which we worked, and it’s true that the characters in this book work hard for the comparatively small victories they manage. This felt true to me when I was writing it, and still today.This particular victory, then, feels incredibly satisfying […]