Stephen Near has made the 2021 CBC Short Story Prize longlist for Conduct unbecoming of a Disney employee.

The winner of the 2021 CBC Short Story Prize will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, have their work published on CBC Books and have the opportunity to 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 April 22 and the winner will be announced on April 29.

Stephen Near is a writer and educator living in Hamilton. He is a graduate of York University (BFA), the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (B. Ed) and the MFA creative writing program at the University of Guelph. Stephen is a member of the Playwright's Guild of Canada and an alumnus of both the Sage Hill Writing Experience and the Banff Centre. Recently, he was named the inaugural writer-in-residence for the Cotton Factory in Hamilton. His writing has appeared in a variety of online and print publications and his plays have been produced at a variety of theatres and festivals. He is a proud husband, father and unabashed geek who is (still) obsessed with comic books and role-playing games

"End at the Magic Kingdom."

"How memories of an ending, and a place as surreal as Disneyland, can conjure feelings of both deep comfort and sharp pain that resonate years after they've happened."

De-icing at Pearson takes longer than expected. My anxiety of flying is made worse by Brynn's furious chewing of gum in the seat beside me.

"You want your ears to pop? That's what happens," she says.

Take-off comes and goes and we're soon at cruising altitude. Outside my window, the sky above is a deep blue. Beneath us, a blanket of cotton batten stretches to the horizon.

Brynn has drifted off to sleep. Her mouth is open slightly while her head droops toward the aisle. A faint snore can be heard above the hum of the engines and the air pressure inside the cabin. It was on a similar flight that I decided to ask her to marry me. Now, with the recent decision to divorce agreed upon by the both of us, it seems fitting that air travel will bookend our relationship. It reminds me of something that William Gibson wrote. Something about jet lag being the time it takes for your soul to catch up with you onboard a jetliner. Our marriage has been one long jet lag and reality has finally caught up.

The winner of the 2021 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 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 Poetry Prize is open for submissions until May 31, 2021. The 2022 CBC Short Story Prize will open in September and the 2022 CBC Nonfiction Prize will open in January 2022.