Q&A with Alex Skoczylas, our new CEO

Give us a brief introduction.

I love reading, books, art, music, travel, and family. I am Canadian, and can claim a small US connection: I grew up in a border town – Sarnia, Ontario – and lived in Lake Jackson, Texas for a year when I was a child.

My undergraduate degree is in Art History, and I have had a really satisfying career in arts management, mainly in the performing arts at companies including the Arts Club Theatre, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Opera Atelier. It’s a huge honour to return to my reading roots by joining the team at The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction.

Books and libraries are a big part of my life: I was one of those kids who checked out a huge stack of books every Saturday morning; my first job was in the children’s department of the Sarnia Public Library (where I used to get in trouble for reading instead of shelf-reading!)

My favourite Toronto library is the Lillian H. Smith branch, which houses the Osborne Collection of Early Children’s Books. I belong to the world’s best book club - an extraordinary group of women who introduce each other to a wide range of books and authors, and who support each other through thick and thin. (Quite like the women in Carol Shields’ Thirteen Hands!)

What drew you to the opportunity at the Carol Shields Prize?

I was drawn by the mission: to support women and non-binary writers from Canada and the United States. The prize itself will make a huge difference in the lives of the winning writers - but we also put the work of women writers in the spotlight with charitable grants and mentorships for marginalized and underrepresented writers. I love the idea of promoting fiction by a wider, more diverse group of women writers. And I love the overall concept of women supporting women.

This is also an entrepreneurial role with a relatively new charity. it’s my role to be sure that the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction continues on long into the future. An exciting challenge!

What’s job one?

The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction will be awarded for the first time in May 2023. Submissions opened this year, so job one is to get the jury reading - they have a big task ahead of them.

After that, the main thing is to secure the future of the organization. That means raising the profile of the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, and fundraising. We have a talented and passionate Board of Directors, and a stellar list of honorary and literary patrons - from Zadie Smith to Alice Munro - who are helping us gain support from across the United States and in Canada. Donors in both countries can get tax receipts for their gifts - please consider supporting us!

What are you reading right now?

I have not read The Stone Diaries in many years - so that is what is on my Kobo [eReader] right now. Next up is Five Little Indians by Michelle Good and What Storm, What Thunder by Myriam J.A. Chancy.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

A mentor and former boss, Tricia Baldwin (Director, Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts in Kingston, Ontario) told me that every criticism has a nub of truth in it - you need to put your feelings aside, find the truth, and address it.

Why do you think books by women are important?

Who else is there to tell and share stories about our vast and diverse experiences? In a recent blog post on The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction website, writer Sidura Ludwig said it better: “When we make space in publishing for women’s stories, especially those from marginalized communities, as well as non-binary and trans voices, we broaden our understanding of the world and its complexities. Our books are a lens through which we allow our readers to see the world, for a moment, through our eyes. We don’t have to go back too far in history to understand how narrow that lens becomes if we don’t have books by women.”

What’s a book people would be surprised to see in your book collection?

I have a small collection of outdated travel phrasebooks and guidebooks that I am too sentimental to recycle: one in particular from a trip to the Greek Islands in 1990 that is dog-eared and splashed with red wine stains. ■