The International Beverly Prize is named after the lawyer, feminist and long-time book collector, Beverly Swift. It is one of the more unique literary prizes in the world, in that entrants from anywhere in the world, 18 or over in age, may submit work in any genre, such as plays, poetry, short fiction, memoir, essays, fiction, so long as it is unpublished, original, and written in any form of the English language; traditional and innovative works are equally welcome. The prize was delayed by the pandemic, and this iteration combines submissions across five years. See below the shortlisted writers for The Black Spring Press Group's 2025 International Beverly Prize for Literature.
A Lovely Day to Kill Your Spouse, Lindsey Brown
Lindsey Brown is an award-winning New Zealand playwright whose plays have been performed around the world, including London, New York, Hollywood, Dubai, Auckland, Sydney and India. She often favours comedy in her writing, believing that when we laugh, we are most open to learn.
Chicanx 'Chero Blues: Poems from Migratory Delta, Tezozomoc
Tezozomoc is a Chicano essayist, poet, and 2009 Oscar-nominated activist based in Los Angeles. His work has been published internationally, including I Am Not Your Chihuahua (Amoxcalli Books) and Gashes!: Poems and Pain from the Halls of Injustice (Floricanto Press). Tezozomoc’s poetry and activism resonate across borders and mediums, having been featured in both national and international open mics.
Good Morning Captain, Scott Hobbs Bourne
Originally from North Carolina, Scott Hobbs Bourne is the author of the novel, A Room With No Windows, a book of short stories, several journals and a trilogy of poems. His poetry has been put to score by American composer Shinji Eshima, and premiered at the San Francisco Opera in April of 2016. His most recent work, An Act of Imagination, is an illustrated book of poems for children. Scott lives in Paris with his wife and two children. See a full documentary about his work here: http://vimeo.com/64647082.
No Vacancies, Elida Silvey
Elida Silvey is a self taught Mexican-American writer, editor and artist living in London. She writes about visual theory relating to the concepts of reality, time and 'the self,' experienced through (collective) memory on her Substack, Through the Eye of a Needle. She is the assistant editor for Montez Press.
The Plague Years: 20-23, Thomas Sims
Thomas Sims holds a B.S. in Biology from the Templeton Honors College at Eastern University and is pursuing a M.F.A. at Lindenwood University. He currently teaches 8th grade Medieval history and 11th grade literature in Chandler, Arizona, and is the Associate Editor of Poetry at Quibble Lit. His work has been featured by “Beyond Words,” “An Unexpected Journal,” “Linked Verse,” "Novus Lit," and "Ink of Genesis." He can be found on Instagram @tmsims.poetry.
Superman: a Doctor's Stories from Rikers, Illya Szilak
Illya Szilak is a writer, artist, director and creative producer for interactive and transmedia stories. Shaped by her experiences as a physician, her richly collaborative writing and artistic practice explores mortality, liveness, identity and belief in a media inundated and increasingly virtual world. She is currently the medical director at the women’s jail at Rikers Island Correctional Facility in NYC .