For Immediate Release

The Writers’ Union of Canada is pleased to announce that Jo Hatherly has won the $2,500 cash prize for its 25th annual Short Prose Competition for Emerging Writers, for the best story under 2,500 words, with her piece “Running in Circles.” In addition, the Union will submit the winning story and the eleven other shortlisted stories to three Canadian magazine publishers for their consideration.

Jo Hatherly is a former journalist with the Times Colonist newspaper whose work has been published across Canada. She is a Canadian Association of Journalism finalist for her coverage on the national DNA databank, a national short-fiction finalist and author of a Swiss travel blog followed by readers from over 150 countries. Born in Manitoba, she has lived in Spain, Australia, the United States and Switzerland. She lives in Victoria and cottages in Ontario. She was a Short Prose Competition finalist in 2014 with her story “The Canal Duckling” and in 2016 with “The Swimmer.” She is currently working on a book inspired by cottage guestbook entries and the untold stories behind them. Learn more at www.johatherly.com.

The Short Prose Competition, established in 1993 in honour of the Union’s 20th anniversary, aims to discover, encourage and promote new writers of short prose who have published up to a maximum of one work in book format, in order to provide opportunity and exposure to developing writers. This year, seventeen Union members donated their time and expertise to read 481 submissions and distill them into a long list of eighty-nine stories. These stories went on to a second round of eighteen who selected the finalists to pass on to the jury: Deborah Campbell, Melanie Mah and Daniel David Moses.

WINNER“Running in Circles” by Jo Hatherly, Victoria, BC

Of the piece, the jury remarked, “This story is filled with assured and beautiful writing, unique images and word choices. Suspenseful to the point of riveting, it moves from a place of safety to darkness and possible death in the space of a moment. Cunningly plotted and well characterized; deftly told with a sardonic edge to the very credible details.”

Deborah Campbell, Melanie Mah, Daniel David Moses

Lynda Archer, Sharon Berg, Ann Birch, Lucy E.M. Black, Kathyln Bradshaw, Kevin Burns, Susan Burton, Judith Chopra, Kim Clark, Myrl Coulter, Jacqueline Dumas, Ann Eyerman, Vanessa Farnsworth, April L. Ford, Loraine Fowlow, Nan Gregory, Betty Jane Hegerat, Awad Jaggernath, Jerry Levy, D.A. Lockhart, Sidura Ludwig, Michael Mirolla, Roger Moore, Dawn Promislow, Edeet  Ravel, J. Jill Robinson, Trudee Romanek, Rene Schmidt, Susan Smith-Josephy, Madeline Sonik, Ainslie Stewart, Shawn Syms, Rea Tarvydas, Craig Terlson, Betty Jane Wylie.