28 writers make the 2021 CBC Nonfiction Prize longlist

Twenty-eight writers from across Canada have been longlisted for the 2021 CBC Nonfiction Prize.

The complete longlist is: 

• Are You Still Dead This Summer? by Ellen Adams (Montreal)
• Sandwiches by Georges Ajami (Montreal)
• To Pluto and Back by Kayode Ajayi (Ottawa)
• One Route, Over and Over by Nicole Boyce (Calgary)
• Ma by Kirsten Dunbar (Creston, B.C.)
• The Mouse by Gena Ellett (Vancouver)
• The Archaeologist's Last Visit by Machenka Eriksen (Victoria)
• Raining Glitter by Jennifer Goodman (Ottawa)
• Whitefish by Libby Gunn (Gabriola Island, B.C.)
• Funhouse Mirrors by Alison Hughes (Edmonton)
• Bone Shadows by Basma Kavanagh (Canning, N.S.)
• Northern Spring by Barbara Mackenzie (Yellowknife)
• Gary Fisher by Yohani Mendis (Toronto)
• The Brother by Baijayanta Mukhopadhyay (Montreal)
• 1975 by Valda Organ (St. John's)
• For Sale by Lue Palmer (Toronto)
• The Time with Moiz, The Pants and the Curtain by Zahida Rahemtulla (Vancouver)
• The Pink Palace by Dawn Ruddick (London, Ont.)
• Guests, Ghosts, Hosts by Clarisse Baleja Saïdi (Toronto)
• Cut Out of Something Holy by Yvette Sin (Toronto)
• Impossible Math by Michelle Spencer (Pincher Creek, Alta.)
• Umbrella by Chanel M. Sutherland (Montreal)
• My Summer Body by Lee Thomas (Fredericton)
• Dear CAF by Kelly S. Thompson (Greenwood, N.S.)
• A Borrowed Husband by Sarah Van Goethem (Bothwell, Ont.)
• An Ounce of Care by Kasia Van Schaik (Montreal)
• The Tending of Small Gardens by Tina Wayland (Montreal)
• The Coyote and the Wren by Alice Irene Whittaker (Chelsea, Que.)

The longlist was selected from more than 2,000 English-language submissions.

A team of writers and editors from across Canada compiled the list.

The jury selects the shortlist and the eventual winner from the readers' longlisted selections. The 2021 jury is comprised of Jenny Heijun Wills, M.G. Vassanji and Tim Cook. 

The shortlist will be announced on Sept. 22 and the winner will be announced on Sept. 29.

The winner of the 2021 CBC Nonfiction Prize will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, have their work published on CBC Books and will have the opportunity to attend a two-week writing residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. 

Four finalists will each receive $1,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and have their work published on CBC Books. 

Last year's winner was Burnaby, B.C. writer Jonathan Poh for his story, Value Village. You can read the entire shortlist here. 

• Jonathan Poh thrifted through his childhood memories to write the story that won the 2020 CBC Nonfiction Prize.

The longlist for the French-language competition has also been revealed. To read more, go to the Prix du récit Radio-Canada.

The CBC Literary Prizes have been recognizing Canadian writers since 1979. Past winners include David Bergen, Michael Ondaatje, Carol Shields and Michael Winter.

• 14 famous Canadian writers who won CBC Literary Prizes

If you're interested in other writing competitions, check out the CBC Literary Prizes. 

• Calling all writers! The 2022 CBC Short Story Prize is now open for submissions

The 2022 CBC Short Story Prize is open for submissions until Oct. 31, 2021. The 2022 CBC Nonfiction Prize will open in January and the 2022 CBC Poetry Prize will open in April.