Congratulations to Nicholas Herring (BA '09, English) whose novel Your Breath in Charcoal was short-listed for the 2026 Giller Prize.
This week the Giller Prize shortlist was announced, including St. Jerome's University and University of Waterloo alum Nicholas Herring's second novel. Herring graduated from St. Jerome’s University with an honours degree in English Literature and attended the University of Toronto, where he completed an MA in Creative Writing. During his time at St Jerome's University, Herring was the recipient of a Betty G. Headley Essay Prize. His novel Your Breath in Charcoal is short-listed for the 2026 Giller Prize.
Published by Goose Lane Editions, Your Breath in Charcoal tells the story of Knickle, a young Islander with no friends, direction, or purpose in his life. When he drives to northern New Brunswick to pick up an acquaintance’s brother from a mental health hospital, the pair make a sudden decision to travel further west to try to find a life amidst the chaos of Upper Canada. In the big city of Tah-ron-ah for the first time, Knickle discovers love, hope, and profound loss.
The Giller Prize jury citation calls it "An uproarious, undeniably Maritime tale... a deeply philosophical narrative filled with pop culture references, literary allusions, and mordant, quotable witticisms" and "a character study of a young man learning how to live his life, facing the complexities of the modern world in a riotously funny working-class odyssey filled with love, loss, and profound hope."
Founded by Jack Rabinovitch in 1994, the Giller Prize is Canada’s leading and most influential literary prize for fiction. The Giller Prize awards $100,000 annually to the author of the best Canadian novel, graphic novel or short story collection published in English, and $10,000 to each of the finalists. The award is named in honour of Jack Rabinovitch’s wife, the late literary journalist, Doris Giller. The Prize will be announced at a ceremony on November 16, 2026.
Herring will be back on campus reading from his work on November 19, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. in SJ2 1004 as part of the St. Jerome's Reading Series. These readings are special opportunities to get inside the book — to hear writers read their own words, and speak about their own writing. Every reading includes an open question and answer session.