With Value Village, Burnaby writer Jonathan Poh takes home 2020 CBC Nonfiction Prize
Streetwear and sneakers became a kind of armour to protect the author against racism
“I experienced a lot of racism when I was growing up and I found that by choosing the right clothes or the right shoes, I could fit in,” Jonathan Poh said. Photo by Jillian Chong
BURNABY WRITER JONATHAN Poh has won the 2020 CBC Nonfiction Prize for Value Village.
In the essay, Poh—a contributor to and former editor of men's fashion and streetwear publication Hypebeast—explores how unprocessed trauma is stored in the body, and how smell can trigger powerful memories.
“Writing Value Village showed me that there is a lot I could probably unpack in my own life,” Poh said in an interview with CBC Books. “I've lived and worked in several countries and the common thread has always been this interest in streetwear and sneakers. That's how I started my career.
“Value Village goes back to the origins of that, and this idea that what I wore could be a kind of armour,” he said. “I experienced a lot of racism when I was growing up and I found that by choosing the right clothes or the right shoes, I could fit in. Over time, it changed into a form of self-expression.”
Writers Yasuko Thanh, Bill Gaston and Robyn Doolittle made up the jury for the competition, with drew more than 1,700 English-language submissions from across the country.
“What does putting on the costume of a new country mean?,” the jurors said in a statement. “Wanting to fit in is a common need for adolescents. It’s a way to be accepted. It's a way to be cool. But for many kids, it's a form of camouflage in a hostile environment. This painfully entertaining coming-of-age story walks a weighty path through immigration, racism, class and bullying. Value Village is a beautifully written story told with wisdom, heart and, always, a gently biting humour.”
Value Village is available to read CBCBooks.ca.
Poh will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and attend a two-week writing residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
Runners-up for the CBC Nonfiction Prize are Joseph Kakwinokanasum of White Rock for Ray Says; Amy MacRae of Vancouver for Take a Photo Before I Leave You; Rachael Preston of Nanaimo for The Story Teller; and Leona Theis of Saskatoon for Sturnella Neglecta (Overlooked Little Starling). They’ll each receive $1,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts.
Isabelle Lapointe won the French grand prize for Dédé.
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