The shortlist for the Polari First Book Prize was announced last night at the Polari Literary Salon at the Southbank Centre.
This year, for the first time, the five shortlisted books will be displayed at selected WH Smiths travel outlets across the country.
The Polari First Book Prize is for a first book which explores the LGBT experience and is open to any work of poetry, prose, fiction or non-fiction published in the UK in English within the twelve months of the deadline for submissions (this year Feb 1, 2014). Self-published works in both print and digital formats are eligible for submission. The winner will be presented with a cheque for £1,000, courtesy of the Société General UK LGBT Network.
The winner will be announced on 8 October 2014 in the Purcell Room at the London Literature Festival.
The Polari First Book Prize Shortlist:
I Am Nobody’s Nigger by Dean Atta (Westbourne Press)
Petite Mort by Beatrice Hitchman (Serpent’s Tail)
Fairytales for Lost Children by Diriye Osman (Team Angelica)
God’s Other Children – A London Memoir by Vernal W. Scott (self-published)
The Rubbish Lesbian by Sarah Westwood (Mimwood Press)
The judges this year are:
Paul Burston (Chair of Judges) – author, journalist and host of Polari
Bidisha – critic and broadcaster
Matt Cain – author and former Culture Editor for Channel 4 News
Suzi Feay – literary critic and broadcaster
Rachel Holmes – author and former Head of Literature and Spoken Word at the Southbank
VG Lee – author and comedian
Paul Burston, Chair of judges, said, ‘The judges were impressed with the quality and diversity of books submitted this year. These five books represent a wide range of voices from a variety of backgrounds, making for a very exciting shortlist.’
