Halah Butt has made the 2019 CBC Nonfiction Prize longlist for The Weight on My Shoulders.

Halah Butt was born in Toronto and grew up in Milton, Ont. She graduated from University of Toronto with a degree in English literature and professional writing and communication. She has published short stories through various university journals and often contributes to creative, online magazines. An aspiring author, she currently works as a freelance copywriter and editor, while writing creatively on the side.

"Personal experience wearing a headscarf."

"I took moments, memories and struggles from my life that revolved around my decision to wear a hijab/headscarf, and summarized my journey as a Muslim Canadian woman."

A man once glanced down at my friend's little girls and he said, "So beautiful! Will they have to cover up like you when they're older? Such a shame." My friend glared at the man and said, "Of course!" and guided her children away from the sympathetic shake of his head.

A little girl at the park came up to me and asked, "Do you get hot in that thing?" referring to my headscarf and I smiled because I had caught her staring earlier and I said, "No, not really!" And she just nodded and looked some more so I added, "It's a light material, see? Very breezy," and I guess she was relieved because she nodded and smiled and skipped back to her friends. After that I used the end of my scarf to wipe my sweaty forehead because damn, did I get hot in this thing.

The winner of the 2019 CBC Nonfiction 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.

The shortlist will be announced on Sept. 18, 2019. The winner will be announced on Sept. 25, 2019.