Transatlantic is thrilled to share that Harrison Mooney, Brandi Morin, Sofi Papamarko and K.S. Covert have been shortlisted for the 2023 Rakuten KOBO Emerging Writer Prize!
With the Emerging Writer Prize, Rakuten Kobo endeavours to raise the profiles of debut authors by recognizing exceptional books written by first-time Canadian authors in three categories: Literary Fiction, Non-Fiction, and one of three types of genre fiction: Romance, Speculative Fiction, or Mystery.
On 17 April 2023 Rakuten Kobo announced the shortlist of its ninth annual Emerging Writer Prize. 18 of Canada’s most compelling debut books have been selected in three genres: Non-Fiction, Literary Fiction and Speculative Fiction. The winners will be announced June 22, 2023.
More about the books that made the shortlist!
In the Non Fiction category:
INVISIBLE BOY: A MEMOIR OF SELF-DISCOVERY by Harrison Mooney.
A narrative that amplifies a voice rarely heard–that of the child at the centre of a transracial adoption–and a searing account of being raised by religious fundamentalists.
Harrison Mooney was born to a West African mother and adopted as an infant by a white evangelical family. Growing up as a Black child, Harry’s racial identity is mocked and derided, while at the same time he is made to participate in the fervour of his family’s revivalist church. Confused and crushed by fundamentalist dogma and consistently abused for his colour, Harry must transition from child to young adult while navigating and surviving zealotry, paranoia and prejudice.
After years of internalized anti-Blackness, Harry begins to redefine his terms and reconsider his history. His journey from white cult to Black consciousness culminates in a moving reunion with his biological mother, who waited twenty-five years for the chance to tell her son the truth: she wanted to keep him.
This powerful memoir considers the controversial practice of transracial adoption from the perspective of families that are torn apart and children who are stripped of their culture, all in order to fill evangelical communities’ demand for babies. Throughout this most timely tale of race, religion and displacement, Harrison Mooney’s wry, evocative prose renders his deeply personal tale of identity accessible and light, giving us a Black coming-of-age narrative set in a world with little love for Black children.
Harrison is represented by Samantha Haywood.
OUR VOICE OF FIRE: A MEMOIR OF A WARRIOR RISING by Brandi Morin.
A wildfire of a debut memoir by internationally recognized French/Cree/Iroquois journalist Brandi Morin set to transform the narrative around Indigenous Peoples.
Brandi Morin is known for her clear-eyed and empathetic reporting on Indigenous oppression in North America. She is also a survivor of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls crisis and uses her experience to tell the stories of those who did not survive the rampant violence. From her time as a foster kid and runaway who fell victim to predatory men and an oppressive system to her career as an internationally acclaimed journalist, Our Voice of Fire chronicles Morin’s journey to overcome enormous adversity and find her purpose, and her power, through journalism. This compelling, honest book is full of self-compassion and the purifying fire of a pursuit for justice.
Brandi is represented by Samantha Haywood.
And in the Speculative Fiction category:
RADIUM GIRL: STORIES by Sofi Papamarko.
Radium Girl is a collection full of dark wonder where Sofi Papamarko explores the boundaries of love, death, loneliness and justice.
In these twelve deft stories, we are introduced to a cast of unforgettable characters: Margie and Lu, teenaged conjoined twins; Rosie who cruises funerals; Pete the predatory magician; the subconscious mind of Marie Curie; Elda the Radium Girl and many more. These are magical stories; they twist and turn in unexpected ways, leaving the reader sometimes shocked, sometimes delighted and often breathless. With pitch-perfect writing, Papamarko shows us how human beings cope, break and triumph in the face of often unbearable circumstances.
Sofi is represented by Samantha Haywood.
THE PETTING ZOOS by K.S. Covert.
In a virus-fearing world, skin hunger can drive you crazy — and human petting zoos can return you to yourself.
Ten years after the deadly virus nicknamed Henny Penny, the world has largely recovered — there’s an interim government as well as law and order, and life is returning to normal for the greatly reduced population. But despite effective vaccines, the law still requires people to wear protective masks and gloves at all times in public, and many still fear a resurgence of the virus. On top of this, people who haven’t been touched in years are going crazy from skin hunger.
Lily has lived in fearful isolation for ten years, afraid to rejoin the world. But a return-to-work order and an invitation to go to a petting zoo — a highly illegal club where people go to touch and be touched — start to bring her back to life.
A post-apocalyptic sex adventure and a woman’s journey of self-discovery, The Petting Zoos is an erotic love story for an age of extreme caution, in which the value of safety itself is questioned.
K.S. is represented by Samantha Haywood and Laura Cameron.
To learn more about the awards, click here: https://www.kobo.com/media-hub/rakuten-kobo-emerging-writer-prize
Congratulations everyone!