T&T writer Lynn Joseph has been shortlisted for the leading Caribbean literary award for young adult writing, Code's Burt Award for Caribbean Literature.
Two writers, from Jamaica and Guyana, are also in the running for valuable cash prizes and a publishing deal with a Caribbean publisher that will see 7,500 copies of their novels distributed to schools, libraries and community organisations across the region.
The winner will receive CAD$10,000, the runners up will receive CAD$7,500 and CAD$5,000 each, a release said.
The top three titles (in alphabetical order) are:
�2 Children of the Spider by Imam Baksh, Guyana (manuscript to be published)
�2 Dancing in the Rain by Lynn Joseph, T&T (manuscript to be published)
�2 The Dolphin Catchers by Diana McCaulay, Jamaica (manuscript to be published)
The jury of writers, educators and literacy experts praised these manuscripts as, "beautifully written, exciting, worldly, young adult and unmistakably Caribbean."
Children of the Spider, Imam Baksh's engaging first novel, captures readers with the otherness of its world, its intrigue and mystery.
Award-winning writer Diana McCaulay's first young adult novel, The Dolphin Catchers, conjures a vivid setting and an engaging young hero who pulls the reader into the story. And Dancing in the Rain by Lynn Joseph, the author of several other successful children's and young adult books, is gripping in its depth of emotion, strong plot and realistic handling of relationships and conflicts.
The winning writers will receive their prizes at a special ceremony on May 1 at the fifth NGC Bocas Lit Fest in Port-of-Spain, which takes place from April 29�May 3. All three will read from their winning manuscripts in the Best of Code's Burt Award showcase at the literary festival on May 2.
This is the second year of Code's Burt Award for Caribbean Literature. Over the last 12 months, 7,500 copies of the first three winning titles–All Over Again by Ad-Ziko Simba Gegele, Musical Youth by Joanne C Hillhouse and Inner City Girl by Colleen Smith-Dennis –were successfully distributed and some of the winning authors also had the opportunity to meet with young readers and aspiring writers of Young Adult fiction in Montserrat, Antigua, and Barbados as part of an author tour.
The Burt Award for Caribbean Literature was established by Canadian charity Code and is administered in Port-of-Spain by the Bocas Lit Fest.
More info
For further details on the Burt Award for Caribbean Literature, visit codecan.org/burt-award-caribbean or contact the Bocas Lit Fest at info@bocaslitfest.com or visit the site bocaslitfest.com