Without readers and writers, newspapers could not survive. Recently, The Telegram and Creative Book Publishing embarked on a special project meant to inspire word-lovers across the province - The Cuffer Prize. Intended as a salute to the best in locally crafted short fiction, The Cuffer Prize was launched in March 2008. It attracted nearly 200 entries from Newfoundland and Labrador, representing a variety of genres: romance, children's literature, folk tales, science-fiction and thriller. Editors pored over the entries and whittled them down to the top 70 entrants, and these were submitted to a panel of expert author/judges: Joan Sullivan, Russell Wangersky and Kathleen Winter. From those selections, the top three winners were chosen, as were several honourable mentions. The Cuffer Anthology contains the best of those entries, including first-place winner Josh Pennell's "The Last Haiku," second-place winner Gail Alice Collins' "The Black and White Cat," and third-place finisher Chad Pelley's "Subtle Differences." This is a collection of stories to be savoured and remembered. Readers will thrill at the writing talent that abounds in Newfoundland and Labrador. At the same time, they will be contributing to a wonderful cause: a portion of the proceeds from this book have been earmarked for Literacy Newfoundland and Labrador.

Pam Frampton is a columnist and the story editor at The Telegram. She has a BA (Honours) in English Literature from Memorial University of Newfoundland and has worked as a journalist for 20 years. Originally from Trinity Bay, she lives in St. John’s with her husband, Glenn Payette, and their two children, as well as a furry, four-legged son. An ardent fan of books and language, Pam was a founding member of The Telegram’s literary prize committee and is its current chair.

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