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Juicy Fruit, 1947 by Henry Heavyshield

CBC Books | Posted: April 3, 2025 1:30 PM | Last Updated: April 3

The Standoff, Alta., writer is on the 2025 CBC Short Story Prize longlist

Image | Henry Heavyshield

Caption: Henry Heavyshield is a Blackfoot writer from Kainai (Blood Tribe First Nation) living in Standoff, Alta. (Keilan Heavyshield)

Henry Heavyshield has made the 2025 CBC Short Story Prize longlist for Juicy Fruit, 1947.
The winner of the 2025 CBC Short Story Prize will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts(external link), a two-week writing residency at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity(external link) and their work will be published on CBC Books(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 10 and the winner will be announced on April 17.
If you're interested in other CBC Literary Prizes(external link), the 2025 CBC Poetry Prize is currently accepting submissions. You can submit an original, unpublished poem or collection of poems from April 1-June 1.
The 2026 CBC Short Story Prize will open in September and the 2026 CBC Nonfiction Prize will open in January.

About Henry Heavyshield

Henry Heavyshield is a Blackfoot reader and writer from Kainai (Blood Tribe First Nation). He was a 2024 Writers' Trust Bronwen Wallace Award and Indigenous Voices Awards finalist for short fiction in 2023 and 2024. His poetry has also been featured in The Capilano Review, Riddle Fence, ARC Poetry, Ex- Puritan and anthologized in Best Canadian Poetry 2025. He gratefully keeps a day job at Blood Tribe Communications and public art consulting. He would like to thank the continued support of his family and community.

Entry in five-ish words

"Cowboys and caregivers tricksterize settler-colonialism."

The short story's source of inspiration

"Juicy Fruit, 1947 is based on two true stories from my home community of Kainai (Blood Tribe First Nation). The first part about the gum and the Indian Agent really happened. I was told the story by elder Wilton Good Striker. Sspitaikoan (Tall Man) successfully pulled this stunt off after being told all Blackfoot ceremonies and practices (giveaways, for example) had been outlawed. The part about the residential school student with a life-threatening illness was about my uncle. My grandpa, Ed Heavyshield, Akoh'kitopi (Many Rider), had to ask permission from the Indian Agent to take his son off-reserve in order to receive life-saving treatment. Through the magic of fiction I married (literally) these two stories together. There is also a nod to Thomas Pynchon's Gravity Rainbow in there."

First lines

Progress, The Indian Agent thought, was slow, but the evidence lay bare before him: an NDN in a pair of wool trousers.
The NDN thought: he definitely smelled horse poop.
"I'm sorry, Mr. LastRider. I'm afraid my hands are tied." The Indian Agent rested his palms on his desk.
"But The Grey Nuns gave me this letter. They said my son got sick not long after he arrived at school last fall."
… The boy has been isolated from fellow students and relieved of most of his chore duties. Staff at the parish infirmary recommends transport to the city if he is to survive. Father Daniels leaves this at your discretion…

Check out the rest of the longlist

The longlist was selected from more than 2,300 entries. 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 composed of Conor Kerr, Kudakwashe Rutendo and Michael Christie.
The complete list is:

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