I am honoured to be the winner of the 2020 Penguin Random House MFA Prize for best nonfiction book proposal.
“Margaret Lynch, who graduated in May from the University of King’s College with her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction degree, is the winner of the 2020 Penguin Random House Best Nonfiction Book Proposal Prize.
Lynch, a Toronto-based storyteller who writes about people, places, and plights, won for her proposal for Transformed: When My DNA Changed, So Did I, her memoir of her journey to “become a better person” after a rare leukemia invaded her body when she was just 30. Her 1988 experimental bone marrow transplant, she says, was “a last-ditch attempt to save my life. I beat the eight percent odds of survival and vowed to transform myself, to make the most of my second chance.”
Lynch’s proposal was selected from among 21 entries for the prize, which is awarded for the best nonfiction book proposal by a University of King’s College MFA in Creative Nonfiction student in their graduating year, or by an alumnus. The proposals include sample chapters and sections describing their book’s marketability.”
The University of King’s College prize, established by the generosity of Penguin Random House Canada in partnership with Westwood Creative Artists literary agency celebrates excellence in creative nonfiction and is awarded for the best nonfiction book proposal prepared by a student in their graduating year, or by an alumnus. The proposal includes sample chapters and sections describing the book’s marketability.
The prize includes $2,500 and a consultation with a Penguin Random House Editor, as well as an offer by Westwood to represent the author.
Read the entire press release on the King’s website (June 26, 2020).
