PolarI BOOK prize
This year’s shortlists announced at Polari In Heaven
DOUGLAS STUART, PAUL MENDEZ, Golnoosh Nour AND MOSHIN ZAIDI NAMED IN INTERSECTIONAL AND DIVERSE POLARI PRIZE SHORTLISTs
Books that explore the meeting points of class, race and sexuality dominate the two 6-book shortlists for both the 2021 Polari Prizes, the UK’s only literary awards for LGBTQ+ literature.
Shortlisted for Polari First Book Prize, Paul Mendez’s novel Rainbow Milk explores the intersection of class, race, sexuality and religion across different generations, while Forced Out by Kevin Maxwell recounts the author’s experience of working in the police force as a gay black man from a working-class background. These are joined by barrister Mohsin Zaidi’s memoir of growing up in a strict Muslim family (A Dutiful Boy), alongside Tomasz Jędrowski’s Soviet Union-set novel Swimming
in the Dark, Douglas Stuart’s Booker Prize winning novel Shuggie Bain, and Andreena Leeanne’s cathartic poetry collection Charred.
In the Polari Prize shortlist (which awards an overall Book of the Year, excluding debuts) the intersection of sexuality and religion is also explored in Iranian author Golnoosh Nour’s collection The Ministry of Guidance and Other Stories. This sits alongside Steven Appleby’s graphic novel Dragman, as well as poetry from Caroline Bird (The Air Year) and Rosie Garland (What Girls Do In The Dark), while Neil Blackmore’s novel The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle and Diana Souhami’s study No Modernism Without Lesbians makes up the rest of the Polari Prize shortlist.
Author, Polari Prize founder and Chair of Judges, Paul Burston said: “This year’s shortlists are our most diverse ever, with a wide variety of writers working across different genres to explore the intersections between sexuality, gender, race, class, religion and more. These 12 remarkable books include tales of resilience and celebration, love and pride, exploring the LGBTQ+ experience with emotional honesty, humour, passion and joy.”
In 2020 the Polari First Book Prize was won by Amrou-Al Kadhi for Life as a Unicorn: A Journey from Shame to Pride and Everything in Between, while the 2020 Polari Prize was won by Kate Davies for the novel In at the Deep End. As is tradition, both writers feature in the judging panels for the 2021 awards, and are joined by Angela Chadwick, Rachel Holmes and Keith Jarrett (Polari First Book Prize) and Suzi Feay, Chris Gribble and VG Lee (Polari Prize).
Both prize panels are chaired by founder, journalist and author Paul Burston.
The winner of the 2021 Polari Prizes will be announced at an in-person ticketed event at the Southbank Centre on 30 October.
BACKGROUND
Established in 2011, The Polari First Book Prize is awarded annually for a first book which explores the LGBTQ+ experience.
Established in 2019, The Polari Prize is awarded annually for a book by a a non-debut writer.
Our current winners are Amrou Al-Kadhi and Kate Davies, who are helping to judge this year’s prizes.
The remaining judges are Angela Chadwick, Rachel Holmes and Keith Jarrett (Polari First Book Prize) and Suzi Feay, Chris Gribble and VG Lee (Polari Prize)
Both panels are chaired by author, journalist and prize founder Paul Burston.
The Polari First Book Prize is sponsored by award-winning arts communications company FMcM Associates, with the winner receiving a cheque for £1,000. The submission fee is £15.
The Polari Prize is sponsored by D H H Literary Agency, with the winner receiving a cheque for £2,000. The submission fee is £25.
Writers must be born or based in the UK and Ireland and books published in the 12 months up to Feb 1, 2021.
The deadline for submissions was Monday April 26, 2021.
Terms and Conditions
Any eligible book that is entered for the Prize shall not qualify unless its publisher/author agrees:
a. that in the case of The Polari Prize, the publisher/author will contribute a submission fee of £25 per title. That in the case of The Polari First Book Prize, the publisher/author will contribute a submission fee of £15 per title. This payment is to be made by BACS or PayPal.
b. to provide a short bio and high resolution author photo for each book submitted - no later than May 31, 2021.
c. to invite longlisted authors to the planned public shortlist event in July at the Southbank Centre and shortlisted authors to the planned award ceremony at the London Literature Festival in October, also at the Southbank Centre (dates TBC).
Publishers/authors will be responsible for travel costs and should do their best to ensure attendance.
d. that if an entered book should be longlisted, the publisher/author will provide recorded interviews/readings with the author to be used by the Polari Prize on either web or mobile platforms to promote the Prize.
e. that if an entered book should be shortlisted, the publisher will do their best to ensure the author’s attendance at the Prize award ceremony.
Eligibility
a. Any full length novel, graphic novel, novella, biography, short story collection, memoir, non-fiction work or book of poetry written in English by a writer born or based in the UK and Ireland is eligible.
b. Writers must either identify as LGBTQ+ or explore LGBTQ+ themes and characters in the work submitted. In the case of The Polari First Book Prize, priority will be given to books exploring LGBTQ+ themes and characters. Writers working in all genres are actively encouraged.
c. All entries must be submitted in print form. Where books exist only in e-book format, a bound printed copy will be accepted. E-books or PDFs will not be accepted.
d. All entries must be first in the United Kingdom or Ireland between February 2, 2020 and February 1, 2021, but may have been previously published outside the UK. Titles with simultaneous UK and US publications within this timeframe are eligible.
e. Self-published books are eligible for the Prize. Submissions must include a covering letter explaining why the work was self-published.
f. Authors / publishers are reminded that it is their responsibility to ensure that all submitted titles meet all other requirements for the prize.
Entry of Books
There is no limit on the number of eligible titles entered by any one publisher / author.
The following steps should be taken for titles to be considered:
a. By April 12, 2021, Publishers should contact the chair of judges via email expressing their intention to submit.
The relevant submission fee of £25 per title or £15 per title (First Book Prize) should then be sent via BACS or PayPal.
The judges’ addresses will then be forwarded for submission.
b. By April 26, 2021, Publishers should ensure that all books have been received by the judges.
For further information, please email paulburston@btinternet.com with 'Polari Prize' as the subject.
The Polari First Book Prize 2020 shortlist :
Queer Intentions: A Personal Journey through LGBTQ+ Culture - Amelia Abraham
Life As A Unicorn - A Journey From Shame to Pride and Everything In Between - Amrou Al-Kadhi
Sensible Footwear: A Girl’s Guide - Kate Charlesworth
Tell Me I’m Forgiven: The Story of Forgotten Stars Gwen Farrar and Norah Blaney - Alison Child
The Confessions of Frannie Langton - Sara Collins
The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney - Okechukwu Nzelu
The Polari Prize 2020 shortlist :
Mama’s Boy: A Story from Our Americas - Dustin Lance Black
In At The Deep End - Kate Davies
This Brutal House - Niven Govinden
Blue Wallpaper - Robert Hamberger
Trans Power: Own Your Gender - Juno Roche
Things We Say in the Dark - Kirsty Logan
NOTES TO EDITORS:
About the Polari First Book Prize
• The Polari First Book Prize was launched in 2011.
• Previous winners include –
Amrou Al-Kadhi (Life As A Unicorn)
Angela Chadwick (XX)
Fiona Mozley (Elmet)
Saleem Haddad (Guapa)
Paul McVeigh (The Good Son)
Kirsty Logan (The Rental Heart)
Diriye Osman (Fairytales for Lost Children)
Mari Hannah (The Murder Wall)
John McCullough (The Frost Fairs)
James Maker (Autofellatio)
About the Polari Prize
• The Polari Prize was established in 2019 and awards an overall Book of the Year. It is open to writers at any stage of their career (except debuts).
• The 2019 prize was won by Andrew McMillan (Playtime).
• The 2020 prize was won by Kate Davies (In At The Deep End)
• The Polari Prize is sponsored by D H H Literary Agency, with the winner receiving a cheque for £2,000.
For all media enquiries please contact Ashton Bainbridge at FMcM Associates - 0207 405 7422 / ashtonb@fmcm.co.uk
PAST SHORTLISTS
2019
POLARI FIRST BOOK PRIZE
XX - Angela Chadwick
The House on Half Moon Street - Alex Reeve
The Unexpected Love Objects of Dunya Noor - Rana Haddad
Soho - Richard Scott
Attend - West Camel
POLARI PRIZE
Playtime - Andrew McMillan
Take Nothing With You - Patrick Gale
A Simple Scale - David Llewellyn
Prodigal - Charles Lambert
Ghost Wall - Sarah Moss
POLARI FIRST BOOK PRIZE
2018
Elmet - Fiona Mozley
Mussolini’s Island - Sarah Day
Little Gold - Allie Rogers
Trans Mission - Alex Bertie
Pansy Boy - Paul Harfleet
Carnivore - Jonathan Lyon
2017
Guapa - Saleem Haddad
We Go Around In The Night And Are Consumed By Fire - Jules Grant
Straight Jacket - Matthew Todd
Jerusalem Ablaze - Orlando Ortega-Medina
Expecting - Chitra Ramaswamy
Vegetarian Tigers of Paradise - Crystal Jeans
2016
The Good Son - Paul McVeigh
Physical - Andrew McMillan
Blood Relatives - Stevan Alcock
Trans - Juliet Jacques
Different for Girls - Jacquie Lawrence
Sugar and Snails - Anne Goodwin
2015
The Rental Heart - Kirsty Logan
Self Portrait with The Happiness - David Tait
Straight Expectations - Julie Bindel
Everything Must Go - LaJohn Joseph
The Informant - Susan Wilkins
The Gift of Looking Closely - Al Brooks
2014
Fairytales for Lost Children - Diriye Osman
The Rubbish Lesbian - Sarah Westwood
Petite Mort - Beatrice Hitchman
God's Other Children - Vernal W. Scott
I Am Nobody's Nigger - Dean Atta
2013
The Murder Wall - Mari Hannah
The Tale of Raw Head & Bloody Bones - Jack Wolf
Catching Bullets - Memoirs of a Bond Fan - Mark O’Connell
Tony Hogan Bought Me An Icecream Float Before He Stole My Ma - Kerry Hudson
The Sitar - Rebecca Idris
2012
The Frost Fairs - John McCullogh
Becoming Nancy - Terry Ronald
Exit Through The Wound - North Morgan
Modern Love - Max Wallis
Grrl Alex - Alex Drummond
2011
Autofellatio - James Maker
Love, Hope & High Heels - Clare Campbell
Homo Jihad - Timothy Graves
Julian Corkle is a Filthy Liar - DJ Connell
London Triptych - Jonathan Kemp
