Hamilton, Ont.-based writer Anuja Varghese has pledged $25,000 — $5,000 per year for the next five years — to the Dayne Ogilvie Prize for 2SLGBTQ+ emerging writers.
The award is presented annually to a Canadian writer from the 2SLGBTQ+ community for a debut book in any genre. Varghese won in 2023 for her short story collection Chrysalis, which also won the 2023 Governor General’s Literary Award for fiction.
Chrysalis is a short story collection that centres South Asian women, showing how they reclaim their power in a world that constantly undermines them. Exploring sexuality, family and cultural norms, this collection deals with desire and transformation.
“When I was putting Chrysalis together, I really questioned if my stories would find an audience, if they were too weird, too queer, too ragey,” Varghese told CBC Books in an email. “But the response from readers has been incredible, and then to receive such generous praise and support from the Dayne Ogilvie jury, who themselves are writers I respect so deeply — it made a huge difference for me, personally, creatively and of course, financially!”
The Next Chapter13:48Anuja Varghese’s short story collection sizzles with desire and transformation
Hamilton-based writer Anuja Varghese shares the inspiration behind her debut short story collection, Chrysalis.
When Varghese won the prize, she said that she wanted to use the prize “open doors for other queer writers the way doors have been opened” for her. For that reason, among others, she made a donation to this award.
“I also work in the nonprofit sector and know what a struggle it is for arts organizations to find sustainable funding, when so much funding is short-term, or heavily reliant on government or corporate support which can change quickly,” she said. “Offering multi-year support eases some of these pressures.”
Varghese’s stories have also been recognized in the Prism International Short Fiction Contest and the Alice Munro Festival Short Story Competition and nominated for the Pushcart Prize.
“I think it’s more important than ever to uplift queer Canadian storytellers — and the Dayne Ogilvie Prize is a high profile way to do that. Queer and trans rights are at risk in Canada, which makes it critical to amplify voices from our community.”
The prize is administered by the Writers’ Trust of Canada, an organization that supports Canadian writers through literary awards, fellowships, financial grants, mentorships and more.
The organization was founded in 1976 by Margaret Atwood, Pierre Berton, Graeme Gibson, Margaret Laurence and David Young. The Dayne Ogilvie Prize began in 2007 by Robin Pacific in remembrance of her late friend and editor.