Mary Jean Chan’s second collection BRIGHT FEAR and Liz Berry’s novel-in-verse THE HOME CHILD are shortlisted in the Poetry category of The Writer’s Prize, formerly the Rathbones Folio Prize.

On THE HOME CHILD, the prize website says: “Inspired by the true story of Liz Berry’s great aunt, this spellbinding novel in verse is an exquisite portrait of a girl far from home.”

On BRIGHT FEAR, the prize website says: “Through poems which engage fearlessly with intertwined themes of identity, multilingualism and postcolonial legacy, Chan’s latest work explores a family’s evolving dynamics, as well as microaggressions stemming from queerphobia and anti-Asian racism that accompanied the Covid pandemic.”

Judged by The Folio Academy, the Category Winners and the overall Book of the Year will be announced by The Writer’s Prize on 13th March 2024.