Colette Maitland and Cynthia Flood on 2014 ReLit Short Fiction Shortlist

Great news: two Biblioasis short story collections, Cynthia Flood's Red Girl Rat Boy and Colette Maitland's Keeping The Peace, have been shortlisted for the 2014 ReLit Prize. The ReLit, whose mandate is "Ideas, Not Money," celebrates yearly the best new work published by Canada's indies, and The Globe and Mail has called it “The country’s pre-eminent literary prize recognizing independent presses." This year, the ReLit has mixed things up by eliminating longlists in favour of long shortlists. The shortlists are broken down by novels, poetry, and short fiction. 

Red Girl Rat Boy was also included in The National Post's recent roundup, "2014 Things of 2014: 20 Books Plus 3 Comics," where it was distinguished as one of their top three short story collections of the year. 

Best of luck to Cynthia and Colette and all the nominees! 

Colette Maitland, Right With a Click

In what many forecast will be the year of Alice, it was lovely to hear Karen Schindler invoke her when talking about one of our quiet gems from 2013. "Reading [Keeping the Peace]," Schindler writes in the latest Malahat, "it’s easy to be reminded of Alice Munro’s analogy of a short story being more like a house than a road, where you go inside and explore the rooms, 'wandering back and forth and settling where you like.' Munro’s story-as-house metaphor works well here. Maitland manages to create a 'what do I see?' momentum, rather than 'where is this going?'"

And as if THAT isn't a laurelled comparison, she also invokes Yeats' line about how a good poem will "come right with a click like a closing box," and suggests that Colette's best stories end with that exact type of precision. Thanks to Karen for the thoughtful work, congrats to Colette, and a very happy[/snowy/shatteringly cold] Epiphany to all. 

Speed-dating short fiction in Milwaukee

Attn fiction lovers: Colette Maitland (f) & Nancy Jo Cullen (f) avail. immed. 4 short story speeddating at Tap Milwaukee. Look for them this Sunday in the personals section [#ahemArtsSection] of the Milwaukee Sentinel Journal. Turn-ons incl. humor, realism, brevity.

The SJ on CM: "Straightforward realism with a touch of knowing humor."

The SJ on NJC: "Comic and sad at the same time."

Pharmasaviours

Well this is a first for us at the Bibliomanse: we're on a billboard. Check out this fantastic display of Colette Maitland's new short fiction collection, and our heartfelt thanks to Daryl McElwain, proprietor of the Gananoque Pharmasave.

"Colette Maitland's New Book Now Available"

Possibly the very first aisle-end display in Biblio-history. 

4 Biblioasis Titles on Frank O'Connor Longlist

Congratulations to C.P. Boyko, Nancy Jo Cullen, Colette Maitland, and Nadine McInnis, whose short fiction collections were just longlisted for the Frank O'Connor Award!

About the Frank O'Connor Award

The 2011 Frank O’Connor International Short Story Prize is worth €25,000 to the winning author of a collection of short stories published for the first time, in English anywhere in the world, between July 2011 and June 2012 (selecteds, collecteds or books containing stories published in a previous volume of stories by the author will not be eligible). Translations are eligible.

This prestigious international short story award in the memory of Frank O’Connor is the single biggest prize in the world for a collection of short stories.

In honouring Cork’s literary genius and its most famous short story writer, it is hoped this award will achieve international recognition for the short story and highlight Cork’s important contribution to this literary art form.

This major international prize celebrating the city’s intimate relationship with the short story was established as part of the literary programme of Cork’s tenure as European Capital of Culture. Since then it has made possible through the generous support of Cork City Council.

It is hoped the Award, for a complete collection of previously unpublished stories in a book collection, will play a significant role in establishing parity of esteem for the short story collection alongside the novel.