The shortlist for the Polari First Book Prize 2015 was announced last night Tuesday, September 15 during a special edition of the Polari Literary Salon by founder and Chair of Judges, Paul Burston.
Now in its fifth year, the Prize celebrates the very best debut books that explore the LGBT experience, whether through poetry, prose, fiction or non-fiction. The shortlist – traditionally comprising five titles, but this year stretched to six due to the strength of submissions – showcases the breadth of rich and diverse LGBT literary talent today.
Polari First Book Prize 2015 shortlist:
♦ Straight Expectations by Julie Bindel (Guardian Books)
♦ The Gift of Looking Closely by Al Brookes (Self-published)
♦ Everything Must Go by LaJohn Joseph (ITNA Press)
♦ The Rental Heart by Kirsty Logan (Salt)
♦ Self-portrait with The Happiness by David Tait (Smith/Doorstop books)
♦ The Informant by Susan Wilkins (Pan)
The six shortlisted titles – three novels (The Gift of Looking Closely, Everything Must Go, and The Informant), one short story collection (The Rental Heart), one political polemic (Straight Expectations), and one poetry collection (Self-portrait with The Happiness) – capture a vivid range of perspectives, all with a bold and inspiring LGBT narrative.
With authors selected coming from all over the country, it brings to light some of the most exciting and varied new voices in contemporary writing, making it one of the year’s most representative literary prize lists.
Judges for the 2015 prize include:
♦ Author, journalist and host of Polari literary salon, chair Paul Burston; Rachel Holmes, author and former Head of Literature & Spoken Word at the Southbank; literary critic, Suzi Feay; writer, critic and broadcaster, Bidisha; author and comedian, VG Lee; and writer and editor Alex Hopkins.
Chair of the judges Paul Burston, said: “We’re thrilled to reveal the six wonderful books on this year’s Polari First Book Prize shortlist, drawing a spotlight on the rich and diverse LGBT talent taking the literary world by storm. The judges were overwhelmed by the bold narratives and overall quality of submissions this year – so much so that we felt compelled to extend our shortlist from five to six. We felt that in their work, these six shortlisted writers spoke to the LGBT experience in a way that was affecting, engaging and fresh, and we’re delighted to offer their work a platform to reach even wider audiences.”
The announcement also marks the launch of Polari on Tour a UK-wide series events taking London’s award-winning Polari Literary Salon to major cities from September to December.
The Polari First Book Prize was launched in 2011 and is sponsored by Societe Generale. Partners include WH Smiths Travel and Square Peg Media, publishers of g3 and Out In The City. Shortlisted titles will be displayed at selected WH Smiths travel outlets across the UK and the winner will be revealed on Monday, October 5 to coincide with Polari at London Literature Festival. Last year’s winner was Somali-British writer Diriye Osman for Fairytales for Lost Children.
Polari on Tour – key dates:
October 2: Cambridge – Corpus Playroom
October 6: Bristol – Watershed
October 16: – Brighton – Marlborough Theatre
October 21: – Hertford – Hertford Library
November 4: – Liverpool – Unity Theatre
November 14: – Birmingham – MAC Birmingham
November 19: – Nottingham – Nottingham Writers’ Studio
November 25: – Newcastle – Newcastle City Library
November 2: – Bedford – Bedford Library
December 7 – London – Southbank Centre – end of tour, Christmas event
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