Celebrate Writing

Christine Wu  — Hungry Ghosts | Winner

Christine Wu is a Chinese-Canadian poet whose work has appeared in various literary magazines, including Arc, Contemporary Verse 2, The Fiddlehead, The Malahat Review, and Room. She has a BFA from the University of Victoria, a MLIS from Dalhousie University, and a MA from the University of New Brunswick. She was a finalist for the 2022 RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers and lives in Kjipuktuk/Halifax, NS.

Jury Citation
“Hungry Ghosts” is a deeply moving and masterfully crafted collection of poems that surpasses the boundaries of memory, love, family, and personal growth. With a deliberate and intentional progression, each poem peels back the layers of familial bonds, revealing the very essence of what binds us. The writer’s exquisite precision and grace, infused with profound wisdom, skillfully navigate the delicate art of letting go, effortlessly weaving the tapestry of past and present. Through evocative language that resonates with insightful eloquence, these poems offer a soul-stirring experience, inviting readers to embrace the knowledge that lies within.

Selection from Hungry Ghosts (PDF)

Lindsay Foran — How to Build a Bomb | Finalist

Lindsay Foran has her MA in English from UOttawa and now lectures part-time in the same department. She graduated with a Letter of Distinction from the Humber School for Writers and has completed a certificate in creative writing from SFU. Her short stories and poetry have been published in numerous journals, including carte blanche, Maple Tree Literary Supplement, and Bywords. She was also a finalist for the 3Macs Short Fiction Prize (part of the Quebec Writers Federation Awards), and she was on the longlist for the CBC Short Story Prize (2023). When not writing, she’s a busy mother to three small children and one large dog. She is currently finishing edits on a novel.

Jury Citation
As its title suggests, How to Build a Bomb is a delicate narrative with an explosive central conflict. What happens when the border dissolves between our internal and external worlds? With impressive command of characterization, plot, and structure, this is a very careful story about disintegration.

Selection from How to Build a Bomb (PDF)

Sharlene Lazin — A Widow’s Notebook | Finalist

A new voice is not always a young one. Sharlene Lazin was a teacher of students with learning disabilities, an instructor in the Faculty of Education at SFU, and then a high school vice-principal. There were always curriculum materials to write, but more creative work waited until retirement. In recognition of the timer counting down, in her 70s, even while volunteer tutoring students with learning challenges, as well as teaching English to Ukrainians fleeing the war, she has completed her first novel, and a poetry manuscript, and is working on a second novel that wrestles with the intersection of food, disability and hate. Although born and raised in California, she is Canadian and has lived here since the 60s. For the last 15 years, her home has been on Mayne Island, on British Columbia’s coast.

Jury Citation
A Widow’s Notebook leaves us with nowhere to hide. The pain of this loss and the love for their partner is felt throughout the collection which skillfully and intimately navigates the main truth embedded in these poems. At times, there is no resting in peace/for the lovers left behind.

Selection from A Widow’s Notebook (PDF)

Luka Poljak — Ares of Dalmatia and Blue Sea | Finalist

Catherine St. Denis — The Essential Involvement of the Harpist | Finalist