Congratulations to NeWest Press author R. W. Gray and his collection of short stories, Crisp , which was just shortlisted for the Danuta Gleed Literary Award for best first collection of English language short fiction.

From the press release:

"The characters of R. W. Gray's Crisp are all melancholy contortionists, adroit and dexterous lovers of the impossible and the lost. Bridging precise, realistic emotional analysis and explosive, post-modern hyperbole, these beautifully written stories are poignant homages to the fatal trajectories of the human heart."

Crisp was nominated alongside Mennonites Don't Dance by Darcie Friesen Hossack, Greedy Little Eyes by Billie Livingston, Light Lifting by Alexander MacLeod, and Bats or Swallows by Teri Vlassopoulos.

There are three awards given out: a first prize of $10,000 and two additional $500 prizes. The Danuta Gleed Literary Award banquet will take place in Toronto on Saturday, May 28. For more information head to the award's website and stay tuned to the NeWest Press Twitter and Facebook feeds for update.

Congrats again, Robert!