Mari Hannah wins Polari First Book Prize

Mari Hannah was named the winner of the Polari First Book Prize 2013 last night (13th November) for her debut novel The Murder Wall (Pan).

She was presented with £1,000 by Vincent Francois, chair of the UK LGBT Network and Regional Head of Audit, Societe Generale.

The Murder Wall, featuring a lesbian detective operating in a typically male-dominated environment, is the first in the DCI Kate Daniels series. Author, journalist and host of Polari Paul Burston, who chaired the judging panel, called the book “thrilling, entertaining and a hugely promising debut from an exciting new voice in crime fiction".
 
The Polari First Book Prize is awarded to a debut work which explores the LGBT experience and is now in its third year. Submissions are open to books by UK authors published in English and self-published works in both print and digital formats are eligible. The media partner is Square Peg Media, publishers of g3 and OUT In The City magazines.
 
Also on this year’s shortlist were Kerry Hudson's Tony Hogan Bought Me An Icecream Float Before He Stole My Ma (Chatto & Windus); Rebecca Idris' The Sitar (self-published); Mark O'Connell's Catching Bullets: Memoirs of a Bond Fan (Splendid); and Jack Wolf's The Tale of Raw Head and Bloody Bones (Chatto & Windus).
 
In addition to Burston, the judging panel consisted of writer, critic and broadcaster Bidisha, the literary critic Suzy Feay, author and former Head of Literature at the Southbank Centre Rachel Holmes, author and comedian VG Lee and Joe Story-Scott, books buyer.
 
Hannah will be appearing at 'Polari Up North', to be held at the Huddersfield Literature Festival on Saturday 8th March 2014. The event will be hosted by Paul Burston with guests including Keith Jarrett and VG Lee.