The shortlist for the Polari First Book Prize was announced last
night
The Prize, which is sponsored by DIVA, is for a first book that
explores the queer experience and is open to poetry, prose, fiction
and non-fiction.
The five shortlisted books are:
Love, Hope and High Heels by Clare Campbell
Autofellatio by James Maker
Homo Jihad by Timothy Graves
Julian Corckle is a Filthy Liar by DJ Connell
London Triptych by Jonathan Kemp
Of the five selected books, three are published by small
independent presses, while one - Autofellatio - was self-published
as an e-book before finding a publisher.
Love, Hope and High Heels, Liverpool-based poet Clare Campbell's
debut collection, is published by Tollington Press - an independent
small press run by former DIVA books editor Helen Sandler.
"This is a very strong list of robustly diverse voices and
genres, " said Rachel Holmes, Head of Literature and Spoken Word at
the Southbank Centre, where Polari announced the shortlist last
night.
"The shortlist reflects the wealth and range of queer literary
talent and the changing face of publishing today," said Paul
Burtston, Chair of the judges.
Polari, "London's peerless gay literary salon", was founded in
2007. The winner will be announced at Polari's fourth birthday
celebration on 21 November at the Southbank Centre.
Visit
Polari's Facebook page for more information.
