Kelly Watt has made the 2019 CBC Nonfiction Prize longlist for Mexican Parade.

Kelly Watt's award-winning short fiction has been published internationally. She has published two books — the novel Mad Dog, a Globe and Mail notable book, and the mini travel companion Camino Meditations. This past spring, Watt won an honourable mention at Grit Lit for her memoir, The Road for Conquering. She lives in the Ontario countryside with her husband, a miniature schnauzer and three diligent chickens.

"Death in a foreign country."

"The death of my mother in Mexico."

On the day my mother died, there was a lavish parade. It was San Miguel day, the most festive day of the year — just like her to go out with a party. The night before I received the dreaded phone call that she was ill, I'd dreamt of flowers. Someone was dying in a hospital room so I went shopping for flowers. The sales clerk handed me a clutch of stiff fronds.

"Are they dead?" I asked her.

"No, they're still alive," she said, "but just. You better hurry."

That Friday I was on a plane to Mexico.

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.