Zilla

Jones

Zilla Jones is an African-Canadian writer living in Treaty 1 (Winnipeg.) In 2024, she was shortlisted for the CBC Short Story Prize and appeared on their list of 30 writers to watch. In 2023, she was a Journey Prize winner and a finalist for the RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers. Jones has been selected as a winner and finalist in contests by Prairie Fire, Room, Malahat Review, Prism International, Freefall, ex-Puritan, Grain, SubTerrain, and Bayou Magazine. She has published work in The Fiddlehead, EVENT, and the Through the Portal anthology. Her debut novel, The World So Wide, was published in April 2025 and a short story collection is forthcoming in 2027.

Writers & Books

Award History

2023 - Finalist

RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers

for Triggered

Jury Citation

“Crisp, quick, and alive with imagery, ‘Triggered’ is the vivid portrait of a child soldier turned new Canadian and his search for companionship and truth amidst betrayal, displacement, and loss. Rich with secrets, the story portrays a conflicted young man: engaging and guarded, cynical but willing to hope, bent on survival yet fatally distracted. Deftly navigating lies, trust, and the possibility of redemption and revenge, Zilla Jones writes with rare vibrance and linguistic economy in this haunting and memorable story of a boy’s quest for honesty, love, and home.”—2025 WT Rising Stars selector Charlotte Gill

2023 - Winner

Writers’ Trust McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize

Program History

2025 - none

Rising Stars

Selected by

Charlotte Gill

Citation

“Zilla Jones writes with humourous affection and brilliant incisiveness about immigrant life and the Caribbean diaspora; her stories often take place at the complicated intersection of race, class, and hybrid identity. With empathy and a deep sense of justice, Jones’ writing lays bare the hidden powers and tensions that animate everyday moments while championing the conspiratorial affection between girls and women. Her scenes are ingeniously imagined and beautifully written with rewards that endure long after the last page has turned. In a not-too-distant future, Zilla Jones’ name will be everywhere.”