Celebrating the 2025 Carol Shields Prize Shortlist

Join The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction in honoring the five remarkable authors shortlisted for the 2025 Prize.

The shortlist will be revealed on April 3. Check out the longlist here: https://carolshieldsprizeforfiction.com/2025-longlist

The event will feature readings from the five shortlisted authors.

Books will be for sale, and a signing will take place at the conclusion of the reading/workshop.

About The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction
The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction is the first major English-language literary award to celebrate creativity and excellence in fiction by women and non-binary writers in Canada and the United States. Named after beloved Canadian-American author Carol Shields, the Prize is managed by the Carol Shields Prize Foundation. The Foundation provides scholarships, bursaries, and other forms of financial assistance to women and non-binary writers, and offers mentoring programs, salons, and residencies for the benefit of these writers and the general public. The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction—co-founded by author Susan Swan, editor Janice Zawerbny, and arts activist Don Oravec—was founded in 2012, and presented its inaugural award in 2023.

About Carol Shields
Carol Shields was born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1935, and moved to Canada in 1957 after her marriage. She was the author of more than twenty books, including novels, plays, poetry, essays, criticism, short fiction, and biography. Her books were nominated, and won, numerous international prizes. Most notably, her novel The Stone Diaries won the Governor General's Literary Award (Canada), the Pulitzer Prize (U.S.), and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize (UK).

Accessibility: This event is hosted at the bookstore, which is a wheelchair accessible space. Masks are strongly encouraged. Seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. We have dimmable, non-fluorescent lights. To request ASL interpretation for this event, please email events@womenandchildrenfirst.com by no later than 14 days before the event. For other questions or access needs, please email events@womenandchildrenfirst.com.