Guyana Prize for Literature debuts non-fiction, youth categories

The Guyana Prize for Literature made its grand return with vibrancy on Friday last at the National Cultural Centre, after being discontinued in 2016 by the previous administration.

The event, which falls under the purview of the Culture, Youth and Sport Ministry, saw the introduction of two new award categories, and has expanded to include a literary festival.

The festival  includes a number of activities for the benefit of the creative arts industry.

The new categories, non-fiction, and youth, bring the unique stories of Guyanese, both young and old into the spotlight.

The awards for best book of fiction, best book of non-fiction, best book of poetry, and the award for drama were presented by Prime Minister, Mark Phillips.

Culture, Youth and Sports Minister, Charles Ramson Jr presented the youth awards for best short story and best poetry.

This was an award that, along with the non-fiction category, was advocated for by the minister.

The first award of the evening was announced by Chairperson of the jury for fiction, Professor Funso Aiyejina from a list of 37 books that were presented for evaluation.

He also took the time to congratulate the government for “recognising literature as a key ingredient in the development of its people”.

The 2022 best book of fiction was awarded to the winner of the 2006 Best Book of Poetry, Elly Niland, for her fictional work entitled “Bone, Soup, and other Stories”.

Subsequently, Professor Evelyn O’Callaghan, Chairperson of the jury for poetry, before announcing the winner in this category, said the return of the annual award ceremony in its reconstituted format is a “testimony of the government’s vision… for the [coveted] prize”.

Berkley Wendel Semple won overall best book of poetry with “Flight and Other Poems” which the jury said “ is a powerful invocation of Guyanese people, places, and memories”.

In addition, Chairperson of the drama jury, Rawle Gibbons, in announcing the 2022 winner in this category said 11 plays were submitted and five were shortlisted; the panel was impressed by the writer’s engagement on social issues.

The winner of the Guyana prize for drama was awarded to Ray Wiltshire for “Don’t Ask Me Why” – according to Gibbons the script “radically unsettles conventional notion…, while the writer offers as medium and resolution the magic of story making”.

Moreover, Professor David Dabydeen, Chairperson of the jury of non-fiction announced that “Joe Solomon and the Spirit of Port Mourant” by Professor Clem Seecharran was the inaugural non-fiction winner of the evening.

According to Professor Daybydeen in his summation, “Joe Solomon catapulted a West Indian nation to global prominence”.

The final awards of the night were presented by Professor Ian Roberts, Chairperson of the youth awards.

The Guyana Prize for Literature youth award for poetry, female category, was awarded to Zalena Khan and for short story Kimora Payne for her piece “Immortal”.

The double winner that round-out the evening was Samir Mohamed who won the youth award (male) for both poetry and for his short story, “Blood and Oil”.

In his acceptance speech Mohamed said  it was an honour to be at the event and extended his thanks to everyone involved – the judges on the jury felt that this writer was very outstanding in the works he presented.