Irene Way has made the 2023 CBC Short Story Prize longlist for Inferno.

The winner of the 2023 CBC Short Story Prize will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, have their work published on CBC Books and win a two-week writing residency at Artscape Gibraltar Point. 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 12 and the winner will be announced on April 18.

If you're interested in the CBC Literary Prizes, the 2023 CBC Poetry Prize is open for submissions until May 31.

Irene Way, one of 11 children, was raised in Newfoundland. Her high school teacher said, "Go north, young man," and she decided women could also follow this calling. She taught schools in isolated fly-in settlements in Northern Ontario, Labrador and the High Arctic and in a private school in Xian, China. Irene and her husband Colin raised eight children, four biological and four with autism. Her interest in autism led her to become a psychiatric nurse.

"Forgotten Canadians' struggle for survival."

"My story depicts a common scenario in our own country, where suicides happen 10 times more than the national average, where a small bag of apples costs $18, where accelerated global warming is affecting the hunting ground of polar bears, where melting permafrost is causing cracked homes, buckled roads and ruptured pipelines. It is also a place where self-government is in progress, negotiations with communities to tap into rich natural resources are being considered, and Canada is increasing offshore patrol ships to protect our coastline. We need to learn about this part of our country."

The Internet works better at night here, north of the Arctic Circle. There is no real night since it's spring, 3:15 am, and the sun continues to circle the sky. Silas, my boyfriend, and Lily are smiling on my Facebook screen, their heads together in a selfie. Silas is not answering my texts. Embers of anxiety from the cold ashes in my stomach ignite. I fan the flame with images of Silas kissing Lily.

The winner of the 2023 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 Artscape Gibraltar Point. Four finalists will each receive $1,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and have their work published on CBC Books.

The 2023 CBC Poetry Prize is currently open until May 31, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The 2024 CBC Short Story Prize will open in September and the 2024 CBC Nonfiction Prize will open in January 2024.