The shortlist for the inaugural Polari First Book Prize, named after 'London's peerless gay literary salon' Polari, has been announced. This is the 1st year of the prize, which celebrates poetry, prose, fiction or non-fiction exploring the queer experience. The judging panel includes Paul Burston, Suzi Feay (associate editor at The Financial Times), Rachel Holmes (Southbank Centre's Head of Literature and Spoken Word), Fiona McMorrough (Founder and CEO of FMcM Associates) and Joe Storey-Scott (books buyer at Prowler).
Rachel Holmes said: 'This is a very strong list of robustly diverse voices and genres'.
The shortlist includes Homo Jihad by Timothy Graves - Birkbeck Alumnus and MIR8 Contributor and London Triptych by Jonathan Kemp - Birkbeck Lecturer.
The winner will be announced at the Polari 4th Birthday Celebration on the 21st of November at the Southbank Centre.
Tickets are available at:
http://ticketing.southbankcentre.co.uk/find/festivals-series/polari
