An Abbotsford man is among 36 writers who have made the longlist for the 2022 CBC Short Story Prize.
Douglas Reid is the author of The Colour of Fear.
The winner of the contest will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, have their work published on CBC Books, and have the opportunity to attend a two-week writing residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
Four finalists will each receive $1,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and have their work published on CBC Books.
The shortlist will be announced April 21, and the winner will be named on April 28.
ALSO SEE: B.C. author wins prize for book on sexism in military school
Reid used to write poetry and produce art and photography. His livelihood was in education, working with special education students and prison inmates.
In retirement, he was free to pursue novel writing, drawing inspiration from travel, spirituality, ecology and inclusion.
Reid has published one novel, The Buddha Technology, and has two more in progress. He recently discovered short stories and is working toward publishing a collection.
He said his inspiration for The Colour of Fear came from working a camp for people with disabilities that was originally built for survivors of the polio epidemic.
“Some of the staff had contracted it when they were little. I wanted to express sympathy for their struggles. I was also aware of the parallels with COVID-19 that affect everyone in some way,” he said.