Lance Dowrich, a T&T teacher, is one of two Caribbean writers whose work is shortlisted for the 2016 Commonwealth Short Story Prize.
Dowrich is a learning development professional who has been teaching for almost 30 years. He said he wrote the story in question, Ethelbert and the Free Cheese, about 15 years ago, but never published it.
“It’s about a lonely man who wanted recognition and attention, so he buried himself in his work. Through this he got the recognition and attention he desired, not directly from what he did at the job but from some strange experiences.”
Dowrich said it’s overpowering and exciting to be chosen for the shortlist, especially as one of only two Caribbean authors, which means he has a 50 per cent chance of being chosen as the regional winner. The prize is specifically for the best piece of unpublished fiction in English. It is judged by an international panel of writers, representing each of the five regions of the Commonwealth: Africa, Asia, Canada and Europe, Caribbean and Pacific.
Chair of the judges, South African novelist Gillian Slovo, said of this year’s shortlist: “As a novelist accustomed to the luxury of the long form it has been a treat to discover writers who manage to crystallise such different experiences into so few words. The 26 stories we have chosen for the shortlist are in turn comic, touching, poetic, mysterious but always fresh and unexpected.”
Dowrich taught at Presentation College, San Fernando, from 1992–2000, Fyzabad Anglican Secondary from 2000–2005 and was the vice-principal at Trinity College East from 2005–2007. He taught principles of accounts, principles of business, management of business, general paper and a few other subjects. He recently resigned as principal of Kenson School of Production Technology in San Fernando in order to pursue this and other business opportunities.
He has been writing intermittently for years and prefers humour.
“I write when I feel inspired, so there are a lot of funny things that I try to write about, and really that’s it. While many of the books and stories Caribbean authors win prizes for tend to be more serious, I really relish humour. It’s a good feeling that people are reading and finding humour, no matter where it comes from.”
Dowrich said he grew up in a household where everyone reads and talks a lot. “They laugh at everyday things. There’s a lot of material out there and we still do talk a lot, my family, and that’s at the foundation of it all. A story could come from anywhere.” He said that in true Trini fashion, he sent in the story for consideration at almost the last minute.
“Every year, authors who have unpublished works are invited to submit one story for the competition. The story fit the word limit, 2,000 to 5,000 words, and I've always wanted to do something with it, but I've really procrastinated. I really enjoyed writing it and the feedback anytime somebody read it was that it was funny.
“So last year I really decided that it was time to submit it and see what happened. The deadline for entering the competition is November 1 and I decided in 2015, on the night of October 31, to submit it.”
The story cannot be published in any form until the regional winners are announced on May 4, or it will no longer be eligible for the competition. Dowrich said he plans on making the story available in several forms, including as an individual story, an audiobook and the featured story in a collection.
He had some advice for people who want to get their writing recognised or published, or want to start writing in general. “The main thing I’d tell them is to read. If they wish to write, just read, read a lot, read everything. Once they enjoy reading, just begin writing maybe small pieces first and then try their hand at big things.
“There are numerous opportunities now to experience or to expose yourself, to expose your writing, blogging and other avenues like that, but the very first thing is for them to read, just read.”