COOK IN THE RUNNING FOR A $10K LITERARY PRIZE

 Jamaican Canadian Writer Christina Cooke in the Running for $10,000 Prize

Earlier this week, Rakuten Kobo announced the shortlist for its 2025 Emerging Writer Prize—and one Caribbean Canadian new author is among the finalists.

With its Emerging Writer Prize, Rakuten Kobo aims to raise the profile of debut authors by recognizing exceptional books written by first-time Canadian authors in three categories: Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, and one of three types of genre fiction—Romance, Speculative Fiction, or Mystery.

One of the nominated authors is Christina Cooke, for her novel Broughtupsy. Cooke, a Jamaican Canadian fiction writer and essayist—not a con artist, she notes—is originally from Jamaica and now resides in New York City as a Canadian citizen.

Broughtupsy tells the story of Akúa, a young woman who travels to Jamaica hoping to reconnect with her estranged older sister, Tamika. Over the course of three fateful weeks, the sisters revisit significant places from their childhood as Akúa spreads their brother’s ashes. However, their time together only highlights how different they’ve become—and how alone Akúa feels.

Then Akúa meets Jayda, a bold and brash stripper who introduces her to a different side of Kingston. As their bond deepens, Akúa is forced to face the difficult reality of being gay in a deeply religious family and what it means to be a queer woman in Jamaica. Her journey ends in a frenzied and dangerous climax—but not without a glimmer of hope for reconciliation with her sister and peace within herself.

This is Rakuten Kobo’s 11th annual Emerging Writer Prize, which will welcome three new Canadian authors into its growing list of celebrated writers. Winners will be announced on June 17, 2025.

Each winner will receive a $10,000 CAD cash prize, along with promotional, marketing, and communications support from Rakuten Kobo to help launch their publishing careers.