Longlist for the Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses 2023
This year includes seven small presses new to the longlist which is itself evidence of the strength of small press publishing in the UK and Ireland. I was present at the judges’ final meeting and there were plenty of other books in contention. But prizes are what prize do and that is to make choices. It’s a silly thing, we all know that, but the upsides are worth the silliness: attention given to any small press book builds a stronger and more stable small press world and opens up opportunities for others. I am delighted with the longlist. Each year the longlist is varied to a degree no other prize can claim, and yet this year does feel as if it’s taken a step further, least of all because one of the books is written in felt pen. Over the years we’ve come to expect formal invention, the wildly imaginative and writerly elegance, but seldom do we have them all in one book, and there are a few here that do just that. Unfortunately there are no short story collections, but 3 of the last 6 years’ winners have been short form fiction, so we feel OK about this. Four of the seven continents are represented.
But before we announce, here is what our judges have to say about this year’s prize:
Isabel Waidner: “This year’s longlist shows that independent publishing in the UK is changing. These books are diverse, urgent, political, hilarious and brutal. They’re wildly ambitious, far-flung and inventive without compromising literary integrity. They’re what comes next, and I couldn’t be prouder to have been part of the group of judges that selected them.”
Vanessa Onwuemezi: “This longlist of works represents just the tip of the iceberg of contemporary small press publishing. I have been humbled by the judging process, and the imagination, bravery and depth of humanity represented by the entries for this year's Republic of Consciousness Prize.”
Lamorna Ash: “Small presses play a vital role in the wider publishing ecosystem. They set the standard for work that is brave, individuated, formally, stylistically and thematically innovative and rich – characteristics all embodied in this year’s entries to the Republic of Consciousness Prize. It has been a privilege to judge a prize whose mission feels absolutely necessary to me – to celebrate and promote the work of small presses – alongside two other judges whose work I so admire, to have a whole year immersed in such an exciting, surprising and bold selection of books.”
The longlist is
A word on prize money.
We are waiting to hear back from a donor, which means that at present the least we will award is £5,000 (£1,000 per shortlisted press). However, if we are fortunate and receive the donation we will award £15,000 (£1,000 per longlisted press; an extra £1,000 per shortlisted press; and as ever: the winner gets the glory). So do bear with us. We should know by mid-February.
A longlist event will be held at Foyles, Charing X Road, on the March 16th - look out for details.
Judges
ISABEL WAIDNER
Isabel Waidner is a writer based in London. They are the author of three novels: Sterling Karat Gold, We Are Made of Diamond Stuff, and Gaudy Bauble. Sterling Karat Gold won the Goldsmiths Prize, and was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction and the Republic of Consciousness Prize. We Are Made of Diamond Stuff was shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize and the Republic of Consciousness Prize. Gaudy Bauble won the Internationale Literaturpreis for fiction in German translation, and was also shortlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize. Waidner is a co-founder of the event series Queers Read This at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, and they are an academic in the School of English and Drama at Queen Mary University of London.
LAMORNA ASH
Lamorna Ash is a writer and assistant editor at Weatherglass Books. Her first book, Dark Salt Clear: Life in a Cornish Fishing Town was a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week, shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize 2020 and winner of a Somerset Maugham Prize 2021. She writes literary criticism and essays for the Guardian, TLS, Times, Literary Review, New Left Review's Sidecar and Review31.
VANESSA ONWUEMEZI
Vanessa Onwuemezi is a writer and poet living in London. She is the winner of The White Review short story prize 2019 and her work has appeared in literary and art magazines including Granta, frieze and Prototype. She has written several exhibition texts, most recently, Be Overcome, Kira Freije, Gianni Manhattan, Liste 2021 and SMIIILLLLEEEE, Rachel Jones, Thaddaeus Ropac gallery, 2021. Her debut short story collection, Dark Neighbourhood, was published by Fitzcarraldo Editions, UK, in October, 2021. Dark Neighbourhood was shortlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize 2022.