Writer’s Studio alumnus and instructor longlisted for 2024 Giller Prize

Congratulations to Writer’s Studio alumnus Loghan Paylor and instructor Caroline Adderson, who have both been longlisted for this year’s Giller Prize. 

The annual $100,000 award celebrates the best works of Canadian fiction. Loghan was recognized for their debut novel, The Cure for Drowning, and Caroline was longlisted for her short story collection, A Way to Be Happy.

The Cure for Drowning is a historical fiction novel set during the Second World War that centres queer and non-binary characters. A love triangle develops between Kit, born Kathleen to an Irish farming family in Ontario, Rebekah, the daughter of a German-Canadian doctor, and Kit’s brother Landon. As the war progresses, all three separate and try to move forward from their complicated past.

Loghan completed The Writer’s Studio program in 2016 and they also have an MFA in creative writing from UBC. Their short fiction and essays have been published in Room and Prairie Fire. The Cure for Drowning, their first novel, took six years to complete. 

A Way to Be Happy is a collection of short stories that follow a series of characters on their journeys to happiness. From addicts who rob high-end parties to fund their road to sobriety to a Russian hitman battling illness and rediscovering buried memories, the book explores different perspectives on what it means to find happiness. 

Caroline has published five novels and two short story collections. She is a three-time winner of CBC Literary Prizes and B.C. Book Prizes, a Governor General’s Literary Award finalist, and the recipient of a National Magazine Award Gold Medal for Fiction. She teaches the SFU creative writing course Fiction Series for the Weekend Student. 

Both works were selected for the longlist from over 100 books submitted by Canadian publishers. The winner of the 2024 Giller Prize will be announced on November 18.