Cathrin Hagey has made the 2020 CBC Nonfiction Prize longlist for The Fringe.

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

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

The shortlist will be announced on Sept. 24. The winner will be announced on Oct. 1.

Cathrin Hagey lives in Saskatoon with her husband of 35 years, their youngest child and their dog, Chip. She writes and edits for Luna Station Quarterly, a New Jersey-based speculative fiction magazine. She was longlisted for the 2019 CBC Nonfiction Prize, the 2019 Hinterland Prize and the 2018 CANSCAIP children's literature award. She is working on a semi-autobiographical novel.

"A map of family dysfunction."

"My desire to please the first teacher who believed in me, pitted me against my dysfunctional parents during a period of high intensity between them. It felt good to express it after so many years."

I beheld a map of the world. The goal, given as homework, was to "fringe" the water with blue pencil crayon and the land with green. I was stumped. Being two grades ahead in reading didn't help: the squiggly lines and scattered dots formed fickle patterns. To make matters worse, my fine motor coordination was weaker than average.

I held the green pencil with too much intensity. It dug a trench in my finger. When I used the blue, the section I was about to colour suddenly seemed like land. I tried the green again, but then doubted it was land I was seeing. Frustration goaded me into interrupting Mom's silent staring. She said, "Dad'll help you after supper." We usually ate at five o'clock. I could wait a couple of hours. In the meantime, I'd watch Gilligan's Island.

The winner of the 2020 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 the 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 2021 CBC Short Story Prize is currently open for submissions. The 2021 CBC Nonfiction Prize will open in January. The 2021 CBC Poetry Prize will open in April.