Daphne Palasi Andreades ’19 Shortlisted for the Inaugural Carol Shields Prize for Fiction

By
Jessie Shohfi
May 01, 2023

Brown Girls, the debut novel from alumna Daphne Palasi Andreades ’19, has been shortlisted for the inaugural Carol Shields Prize for Fiction

The Carol Shields Prize is now the largest monetary prize for women and non-binary writers. The winner will be awarded $150,000, and the four finalists will each receive $12,500. The winner also receives a week-long retreat at the otherworldly Fogo Island Inn in Newfoundland. 

Named for the Canadian author Carol Shields, this new prize aims to recognize excellence in works by women and non-binary writers, with special consideration granted to works by writers of color. Their mission states, “By putting the work of women writers in the spotlight—and by creating charitable grants and mentorships for marginalized and underrepresented writers—this new annual literary award will acknowledge, celebrate and promote fiction by a wider, more diverse, and inclusive group of women and non-binary writers.”

“I am overjoyed to be a finalist for the inaugural Carol Shields Prize for Fiction!” said Palasi Andreades. “When my editor broke the news to me, I was honestly shocked. It was already an honor to have made the longlist for a prize that spans the U.S. and Canada, the largest award for women and non-binary writers in this region. But to make the top five, as a debut author, is more than I could have ever imagined. I am so glad this prize exists. I hope to continue to tell stories about the lives of women, and women of color, in particular. I am so excited to meet the other finalists and the judges in May!”

Brown Girls was widely lauded upon its release, named a finalist for the New American Voices Award and the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. It was also named one of the Best Books of the Year by various outlets, including Popsugar and Kirkus, and was named a New York Times Editors’ Choice. The Times says, “Andreades’s descriptive writing is glorious, with a confidence one might expect from a veteran novelist…While there is much that many brown girls will relate to—including experiences that feel stolen straight from my memories—Andreades succeeds in making the stories feel specific beyond a singular experience…With their breadth, depth and enormous richness, I found myself wanting to savor these raw stories on a large, overflowing plate.”

The winner of the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction will be announced at Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee on Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 7:30 pm. Registration for the livestream is available here, and Brown Girls is available for purchase here