The Polari First Book Prize 2017
Posted 4th September 2017
Category: Miscellaneous Genres: N/A
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I wanted to take a moment to feature the Polari First Book Prize. I was given the opportunity to read last year’s winner, The Good Son by Paul McVeigh, and, having enjoyed it, when I was offered the shortlist this year I said ‘yes’ to a couple of them (time restraints). I didn’t know much about Polari other than the fact there was a prize and so decided to look into it, so, full disclosure, I’ve been asked to review some books which will happen soon, but this post is of my own making.
Photo credit: Krystyna FitzGerald Morris
The Prize is for LGBT books, books that explore the LGBT experience. Entries are accepted in all forms – poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and self-published works are welcome. On the shortlist lasy year was Andrew McMillan’s awesome poetry collection, Physical, that was high on the list for the Young Writer of the Year, too.
This year’s shortlist (lots of independent publishers):
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Expecting by Chitra Ramaswamy (Saraband)
Guapa by Saleem Haddad (Europa Editions UK)
We Go Around In The Night And Are Consumed By Fire by Jules Grant (Myriad)
Straight Jacket by Matthew Todd (Bantam)
The Vegetarian Tigers Of Paradise by Crystal Jeans (Honno)
Jerusalem Ablaze by Orlando Ortega-Medina (Cloud Lodge)
I’ll be reading the Ramaswamy and the Ortega-Medina. The first is a memoir/essay collection, the second a collection of short stories.
The Prize was launched in 2011 by the Polari Literary Salon, a once a month Arts Council supported event hosted mostly at the Southbank Centre in London. To mark the Salon’s 10th anniversary (so that’s 2011 for the Prize, and 2007 for the Salon), they are doing an event tour that runs until October. Eighty authors are involved and the winner of the Prize will be revealed on 13th October at the Southbank Centre as part of the London Literature Festival.
The tour started in June. Here are the remaining dates:
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13th September: Printworks, Hastings
15th September: Lewisham Library, Lewisham
17th September: The Place Theatre, Bedford
22nd September: Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh
8th October: Birmingham Literature Festival
13th October: Southbank Centre (winner revealed)
20th October: Marlborough Theatre, Brighton
24th November: Southbank Centre, London
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