Growing Pains by Colleen Ren

Colleen Renhas made the2022 CBC Short Story Prize longlistfor Growing Pains.

• 36 writers make the 2022 CBC Short Story Prize longlist

The winner of the 2022CBC Short Story Prizewill receive $6,000 from theCanada Council for the Arts, have their work published onCBC Booksand have the opportunity to attend a two-week writing residency at theBanff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Four finalists will each receive $1,000 from theCanada Council for the Artsand have their work published onCBC Books.

The shortlist will be announced on April 21 and the winner will be announced onApril 28.

If you're interested in the CBC Literary Prizes,the 2022 CBC Poetry Prize is open for submissions until May 31.

• Calling all writers! The 2022 CBC Poetry Prize is now open!

About Colleen Ren

Colleen Renis a writer from Dartmouth, N.S. She holds a BA in creative writing from Concordia University. Her work has appeared in journals across Canada and her short story All That's Left won Dalhousie University's James DeMille Short Story Prize in 2016. Ren currently lives in Toronto where she's working on her first novel Nothing in Truth Can Harm Us.

Entry in five-ish words

"While mom's away, dad tries."

The story's source of inspiration

"There's a George Harrison song called Behind That Locked Door and I listened to it a lot while writing this story. I was interested in exploring what happens when a man, who is set in his ways and uses elusiveness to protect himself, is challenged to deal with a reality he's been ignoring. His fear and sadness turn into anger because the other emotions are too big to hold. It's as if he's going through puberty alongside his kid. I also just enjoy writing from the perspective of children because they observe everything. They might not completely understand what's going on, but they sense when things are off."

First lines

Mom has been in the hospital ever since I found her on the floor. Dad works on the car all afternoon, but I know it doesn't need fixing. He grunts, head under the hood. I ask him if he knows where the fruit gummies are.

"Go to mom," he says.

It's his instinct. He throws down his wrench as if the words pinch a nerve.

About the 2022 CBC Short Story Prize

The winner of the 2022CBC Short Story Prizewill receive $6,000 from theCanada Council for the Arts, have their work published onCBC Booksand attend a two-week writing residency at theBanff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Four finalists will each receive $1,000 from theCanada Council for the Artsand have their work published onCBC Books.

The 2022CBC Poetry Prizeis currently open for submissions until May31, 2022. The2023CBC Short Story Prizewill open in September and the 2023CBC Nonfiction Prizewill open in January 2023.