Ana Pereira has made the 2019 CBC Short Story Prize longlist for Roads Home.

Ana Pereira was born in Portugal and am a long-time resident of Toronto. She graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor's degree in French (English minor) and earned a Bachelor's degree in education, together with an Ontario teaching certificate. She is employed by the Toronto District School Board as an occasional teacher.

Ana's writing began with short stories about the experiences of a young girl and her immigrant family. She received grants from the Toronto and Ontario Arts Councils; the Canada Council awarded her a generous grant to work on her now-completed first novel, Safe at Home.

Words unlock the world.

"The inspiration for my story lies in childhood memories, family story and the wonder I experienced at learning to read."

Traveling since morning on the journey home to Portugal after three disappointing years in Canada, Jacinto and Maria Emilia Costa and their two children neared their destination late in the night. Five-year-old Elisa carried a doll wrapped in a fringed woolen shawl, a present from her mother that she had held close throughout the journey by bus, train and then, gliding through the emptiness of air, by plane.

After the plane, another train and, long hours later, a car.

"We'll walk the rest of the way," said her father, pointing to a barely discernible dirt road branching off the side of the highway. The beams of the headlights circled as the taxi made the turn back to town, taking with it all the light, and the family was engulfed by the blackness of the country night.

The winner of the 2019 CBC Short Story Prize will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, have their work published on CBC Books and 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.