CBC Lite
Sections

The Green Guest House by Mina Sharif

CBC Books | Posted: April 11, 2024 1:30 PM | Last Updated: April 11

The Toronto writer is on the 2024 CBC Short Story Prize longlist

Image | Mina Sharif

Caption: Mina Sharif is a writer and activist from Scarborough, Ont. (Jyotika Chauhan)

Mina Sharif has made the 2024 CBC Short Story Prize longlist for The Green Guest House.
The winner of the 2024 CBC Short Story Prize will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts(external link), have their work published on CBC Books(external link) and attend a two-week writing residency at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity(external link). The four remaining finalists will each receive $1,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts(external link) and have their work published on CBC Books(external link).
The shortlist will be announced on April 18 and the winner will be announced on April 25.
If you're interested in the CBC Literary Prizes(external link), the 2024 CBC Poetry Prize is open for submissions until June 1. The 2025 CBC Short Story Prize will open in September and the 2025 CBC Nonfiction Prize will open in January.

About Mina Sharif

Mina Sharif lives in Scarborough, Ont., where she advocates for the rights of Afghan people through cultural advisory services, voluntary aid work and public speaking. Her essays and commentary have appeared in various publications including Al Jazeera, Teen Vogue and Femina Magazine. As an emerging author of fiction, Sharif aims to challenge stereotypes and present a multifaceted view of Afghanistan. She was shortlisted for the Peter Hinchcliffe Short Fiction Award in 2023 and has a publication upcoming in The New Quarterly. Her working manuscript, featuring stories set in Afghanistan, includes The Green Guest House.

Entry in five-ish words

"The subject's perspective always matters."

The story's source of inspiration

"I wrote this piece to provide readers with a glimpse into how actions, even when possibly well-intentioned, can lead to the suppression of voices. I'm pained by how seldom Afghans are given the opportunity to tell their own stories, but I don't think its as simple as malicious intent. Writing this story helped me express that Afghanistan, and many places like it, remain minimally understood, because we've long relied on asking experts or observers instead of engaging directly with people themselves."

First lines

On the cover of The Real Afghanistan; A Woman's Firsthand Account, the author Sally James smiles intensely, wearing the blue Afghan dress I purchased for her. I think of how my father says a smile is real when it shows in the eyes, and her glassy eyes look empty to me. When the book arrived a week ago, I'd missed the falseness of her expression, lost in my own excitement. A woman I considered my friend had written about my country, and I was included. I open the hardcover and read the inscription.

Image | CBC Short Story Prize

Caption: The 2024 CBC Short Story Prize shortlist will be announced on April 18 and the winner will be announced on April 25. (Ben Shannon/CBC)

Check out the rest of the longlist

The longlist was selected from more than 1,900 submissions. A team of 12 writers and editors from across Canada compiled the list.
The jury selects the shortlist and the eventual winner from the readers' longlisted selections. This year's jury is comprised of Suzette Mayr, Kevin Chong and Ashley Audrain.
The complete longlist is:

More Stories Like This

The related links below are generated automatically based on the story you’ve just read.

Loading...