This year’s first place prize has been awarded to Ruth Taylor for her work, Duck/Rabbit.
Each year, the Penguin Random House Canada Student Award for Fiction is awarded to an SCS creative writing learner whose work and commitment to creative expression inspires us. This year’s first place prize has been awarded to Ruth Taylor.
Two prizes have also been awarded to this year's runners up: Joanne Lam and Katarina Young .
WINNER ($2,500 PRIZE):
Ruth Taylor, Duck/Rabbit
Ruth Taylor worked as a journalist in Guatemala for a decade before returning with her family to Canada and taking up fiction. Her stories have appeared in the Dalhousie Review, the Massachusetts Review and most recently, the Potomac Review, among other venues. She now lives and writes in London, Ontario, where she continues to be fascinated by the relationship between people and place.
“In assured and fluid prose, Ruth Taylor leads us through a story glimmering with complexity and possibilities, giving us a glimpse into the heart of a captivating character. A young woman working in a city office feels alienated from her co-workers, yet loves her cubicle's window which looks onto a blank square of lawn—snow-covered, at present. Details and observations are sure-footed and precise, with interiority and hints of depths beneath, in a vivid piece that is tantalizing and suggestive, unexpected and memorable,” says award judge Dawn Promislow.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS ($1,000 PRIZE EACH):
Joanne Lam, Queen Mother
Joanne Lam was born in Hong Kong and immigrated to Canada with her parents when she was eleven. Since she was a child, she has loved using her imagination. She is a registered architect and co-founder of Picnic Design, an architecture and interior design firm based in Toronto. In both her design work and her writing, she is interested in weaving the past and present into the creation of future stories.
“In her novel, Queen Mother, Joanne Lam’s stark and simple style choices align perfectly with the trauma of war and famine which they detail,” says award judge Rajinderpal Pal.
“The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during WW II is told in journalistic, matter of fact, emotionally detached prose as the Lam family—led by the intrepid grandmother—spiral into extreme poverty and desperation. The excerpt leaves the reader yearning to learn more about how this and future generations of the family survive and how the as-yet-unborn grandchild happens to narrate their story.”
Katarina Young, The Fall
Katarina Young is a writer living in Toronto. She has researched the experience of aging and receiving care through her background in health studies, public policy and clinical research, as well as time spent volunteering in long-term care. She is currently enrolled in the U of T School of Continuing Studies Certificate in Creative Writing. She is on a journey of sharing her writing on Substack @katarinayoung.
“Katarina Young’s The Fall is a beautifully affecting study of aging. Equal parts intimate and incisive, Young’s prose draws the reader into a compassionate portrayal of elderhood, challenging their perspective on the old and the new. Her ability to realize characters so quickly and fully, and to echo their experiences with such a vivid setting (a house that is a character in itself—holding memories, love, and pain) is striking. And the way in which she manages to give a voice to a literally voiceless woman, without ever having her speak words, is simply brilliant. This piece is a lifetime achingly encapsulated, tenderly drawn, and utterly unforgettable,” says award judge Megan Kwan.