The 2023 Guyana Prize for Literature awardees were last night announced at the 2024 festival, honouring outstanding works in fiction, poetry, drama, non-fiction, and youth categories.
In the fiction category, the top three winners were Kennard Ramphal for “Slippery Ochro” in 3rd place, Somnauth Narine for “Rage from the Backwaters” in 2nd place, and Michael Jordan for “Girl in the Pink Pleated Skirt” in 1st place.
In the Poetry category, Ruth Osman takes home the Best First Book of Poetry award for “All Made of Longing” while Ian McDonald won Best Overall Book of Poetry for “Not Quite Without a Moon.” Sasenarine Persaud secured 3rd place with “Mattress Makers.”
For Drama, Harold Bascom’s “Unfounded” clinched 1st place, with Shaphan Hestick’s “With a Kiss” in 2nd place and Jamal La Rose’s “Requiem for the Living” in 3rd place.