Kai Thomas
Kai Thomas is a Canadian writer from Ottawa, Ontario,[1] whose debut novel In the Upper Country was the winner of the 2023 Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize.[2]
In the Upper Country is a historical fiction about the Underground Railroad, centring on a journalist for an abolitionist newspaper in rural Ontario who is interviewing a woman jailed for killing a bounty hunter who was trying to capture fugitive slaves.[3] It was also a finalist for the 2023 Amazon.ca First Novel Award,[4] the 2023 Governor General's Award for English-language fiction,[5] and the 2024 Walter Scott Prize.[6] It was named one of the 2024 Michigan Notable Books.[7]
Thomas is a fiction writing mentor in the Master of Fine Arts program at the University of King's College in Halifax, Nova Scotia.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ Patrick, Ryan B. (February 2, 2023). "6 Black Canadian writers to watch in 2023". CBC Books.
- ^ Thompson, Nicole (2023-11-21). "Kai Thomas on the 'surreality' of winning the Writers' Trust Fiction Prize for debut". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
- ^ Grubisic, Brett Josef (2023-01-06). "Kai Thomas' 'In The Upper Country': A tree-planting encounter inspires historical Black fiction". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
- ^ Drudi, Cassandra (2023-05-04). "Billy-Ray Belcourt, Jessica Johns among 2023 Amazon Canada First Novel finalists". Quill and Quire. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
- ^ "Suzette Mayr, Iain Reid among finalists for $25K Governor General's Literary Awards". CBC Books. October 25, 2023.
- ^ "Walter Scott Prize 2024 shortlist announced". Books+Publishing. 2024-05-02. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ "2024 Michigan Notable Books". Library of Michigan. January 5, 2024. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
- ^ "Kai Thomas". University of Kings College. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
External links
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