NEW YORK—In celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8 the award-winning Fogo Island Inn will announce its collaboration with the North American literary award, the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction. The $150,000 (CAD) purse is the largest ever to be granted to a female or non-binary fiction author in the U.S. and Canada.
Launching in 2022 the mission of the award is to recognize and celebrate fiction by female Canadian and American writers. In addition to a cash award, the author and a chosen emerging writer will partake in a mentorship program, wherein the two writers will have a chance to develop and further hone their craft at the Fogo Island Inn. The Inn, situated on a remote island at the edge of the world, offers a creative environment with inspiration from nature and the roaring North Atlantic.
“We are proud to partner with the Carol Shields Prize to welcome exceptional writing voices to Fogo Island, a place where art and community inform and elevate one another,” said Sorya Gaulin, VP, Marketing and Social Business Development for the Fogo Island Inn.
The prize is co-founded by author Susan Swan and editor Janice Zawerbny. Other prominent writers who have supported its development include Canadian writers Alice Munro, Margaret Atwood, Dionne Brand, Jane Urquhart and Charlotte Gray.
The award-winning Fogo Island Inn in Newfoundland, Canada, boasts 29 one-of-a-kind rooms and suites, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows offering expansive views of the ocean, each featuring furnishings and artwork by local craftspeople and artisans. The Inn is intentionally remote—a place of respite and contemplation. It is built on the principles of sustainability and respect for nature and culture. The residents of Fogo Island are the beneficial owner of the Inn, making it a community asset with all surpluses being reinvested in the community to help secure long-lasting resilience.
