Candy Gourlay

Filipino author based in the United Kingdom

Candy Gourlay
Gourlay in 2013
Born	Maria Cristina Lopez Quimpo^[1] Davao City, Philippines
Occupation	Journalist, writer
Nationality	British, Filipino
Alma mater	Ateneo de Manila University, 1984 Saint Theresa's College of Quezon City, 1980
Period	2010–present (fiction)
Genre	Children's Books, Fiction, Middle Grade, Teen Novels, Young Adult
Notable works	Tall Story (2010), Shine (2013)
Notable awards	Crystal Kite Prize for Europe 2014 National Children's Book Award of the Philippines 2012 Crystal Kite Prize for Europe 2011
Spouse	Richard Gourlay^[1]
Children	3^[1]
Website
candygourlay.com

Candy Gourlay (née Quimpo) is a Filipino journalist and author based in the United Kingdom whose debut novel Tall Story (2010) was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.^[2]^[3]

Biography

Gourlay was born and raised in the Philippines.

Career

Journalist

From 1984 to 1989, she worked as a journalist in the Philippines, notably as a staffwriter and later associate editor of the weekly opposition tabloid Mr & Ms Special Edition, which played a significant role in the overthrow of the 21 year regime of Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos.^[4]^[5]^[6]

Her other positions include:

1984, staff writer, Mr & Ms Special Edition (Manila)
1985, associate editor, Mr & Ms Special Edition (Manila)
1986, desk editor, Philippine Daily Inquirer (Manila)
1987, correspondent, Asia Magazine (Manila)
1989, staff writer, Marketing Magazine (London)
1990, London correspondent, Inter Press Service (London)^[7]
2005, presenter and writer, Motherless Nation, BBC Radio 4 documentary on the social impact of Philippine migration

Author

Her debut novel Tall Story (2010) won the National Children's Book Award of the Philippines in 2012 and the Crystal Kite Award for the British Isles in 2011. Tall Story was shortlisted for 13 prizes, notably: the Waterstones Children's Book Prize,^[8]^[9] the Branford Boase Award, the Blue Peter Book Award^[10] and the UKLA Children's Book Prize.^[11] It was nominated for the Carnegie Medal.^[12]

Her second novel Shine (2013) was longlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize^[13] and won the Crystal Kite Award for the British Isles in 2014.

Bone Talk (2018) was shortlisted for the Costa Book Award and the CILIP Carnegie Medal.^[14]

Published books

Hinabing Gunita (Woven Memories): Filipinos in the United Kingdom (London: Centre for Filipinos, 2004)^[15]
Animal Tricksters (Oxford University Press, 2010) – OCLC 495598126.
Tall Story (Oxford: David Fickling Books, 2010)
Shine (David Fickling, 2013)
Bone Talk (David Fickling, 2018)
Wild Song (David Fickling, 2023)

References

^ ^a ^b ^c de Vera, Ruel (21 September 2014). "Identity crisis spawns 2 books by awarded, UK-based Filipino Candy Gourlay". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
^ "Bone Talk has been shortlisted for the Carnegie 2019". Retrieved 24 June 2019.
^ Flood, Alison (19 March 2019). "Carnegie medal shortlist celebrates novels in free verse". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
^ "About Candy Gourlay".
^ "Tita Eggie's Show Don't Tell Brand of Storytelling".
^ "The Story of Us". Archived from the original on 22 January 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
^ "Interview: Candy Gourlay".
^ "Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2011".
^ "Tribute to 'totally funky grandma' wins Waterstone's children's book prize". TheGuardian.com.
^ "Blue Peter Book Award 2011".
^ "Shortlists announced today for the 2011 UKLA Children's Book Award".
^ "The CILIP Carnegie Medal Nominations for 2011". Archived from the original on 22 June 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
^ "Judges praise diverse shortlist for the Guardian Children's Fiction prize 2014". TheGuardian.com.
^ "The CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Awards". www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
^ "Chronicling the lives of Filipino women in Britain". Woman's Hour. BBC Radio4.