Brad Donaldson has made the 2020 CBC Short Story Prize longlist for Sinking.

The shortlist will be announced on April 15. The winner will be announced on April 22.

Brad Donaldson is a writer from Halifax. He holds a Bachelor's degree in communication from Mount Saint Vincent University, where he won the school's creative writing contest in 2016 and co-founded a student-run literary publication. His short fiction has been shortlisted for both the RBC/PEN Canada New Voices Award and the Nova Writes Competition.

Winter in the North Atlantic.

"During my early 20s, I spent so much time concerned with where I was going next that I had completely dismissed the place where I had grown up. It wasn't until a few years ago when I came across a book by Tim Winton (who captures his native region of Western Australia so well) that things changed for me. Reading his work really inspired me to turn around and see who and what had gotten me to this point in my life, which uncovered this layer of history and tradition to the Maritime way of life that I had previously failed to appreciate. I have an endless amount of admiration for my hometown of Yarmouth, N.S., specifically the men and women who are involved with fisheries — they are all much tougher than me."

Laura still had time to call it off. She could pick up the phone right now and tell him to turn around. But she didn't. She didn't want all that planning to go to waste. It had taken months, picking the date and time, coming up with a story to tell their parents, friends and Travis. So she stayed by the back door, watching the crows streak across the grey sky like skid marks. It was mid-morning and getting colder, the kind of plunge that brings with it a storm.

After a while, Laura heard the raspy sound of his blue pick-up truck, the tires crunching gravel as it steered around back of the house, hidden from the road. The footsteps came closer and the door was opened, bringing in a sweep of cool air. It was a quiet embrace, and they went upstairs without hesitation.

The winner of the 2020 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.