91大黄鸭 writer and professor Corinna Chong has won CBC鈥檚 short story grand prize for 2021.
Chong鈥檚 story, titled Kids in Kindergarten, shows how isolating miscarriage and loss can be. The story follows an unnamed protagonist as she processes her most recent miscarriage. Chong鈥檚 story is one of the five finalists and was picked as the winner of nearly 3,000 entries.
The jurors said in a statement that Chong 鈥渉as a wonderful ear for sound and speech 鈥� a sense for what a real voice can do on the page, filling in character, and creating talk that reveals and feels so true to life.鈥�
As the grand prize winner, Chong will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts as well as a two-week writing residency at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
In an interview with Capital News, Chong said it was a shock just being part of the shortlist.
鈥淚t feels amazing. I鈥檓 so thrilled,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 expect to get this far and I was just so happy to be on the longlist.鈥�
When she first told her family, Chong said her mother asked her if she thought she had a shot at winning.
鈥溾�橝re you excited about maybe winning this thing?鈥� she asked me. I just laughed at her. I said, 鈥業鈥檓 not going to win.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 just amazed and so happy.鈥�
Chong teaches creative writing and applied publishing courses at Okanagan College, though she is currently on leave as she works on finishing her second novel Bad Land.
鈥淲hile I am passionate about my own work, I am also committed to engaging in the writing community, especially through guiding and mentoring emerging writers,鈥� she said.
The four runners-up for the 2021 CBC Short Story Prize will each receive $1,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts.
To read Kids in Kindergarten, visit .
READ MORE: 91大黄鸭 writer short-listed for CBC鈥檚 short story prize
twila.amato@blackpress.ca
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