Natalie Sue’s ‘I Hope This Finds You Well’ among Leacock humour writing prize finalists

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This article was published 20/05/2025 (312 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Calgary writer Natalie Sue’s debut novel about the absurdities of office life is one of three finalists for the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour.

The $25,000 award, named for essayist and humorist Stephen Leacock, honours the best Canadian book of literary humour published in the past year.

Sue’s “I Hope This Finds You Well,” which centres on a burnt-out office worker whose unsent email drafts accidentally go public, is on the short list. 

Also making the cut is Toronto author and playwright Greg Kearney’s “An Evening With Birdy O’Day,” about an aging hairstylist revisiting his friendship with a washed-up pop idol.

Rounding out the list is Toronto writer Patricia J. Parsons’ “We Came From Away: That Summer on the Rock,” which follows a feuding family’s Newfoundland road trip.

The winner will be announced June 21 at a gala dinner in Orillia, Ont.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2025.