Laurence Lumsden

Winner of the 2025 Cúirt New Writing Prize

Three mysterious women look out at the viewer from a rich landscape under a vast sky. They wear fine garments, but their faces are featureless. This is an image of the painting Les Trois Soeurs (The Three Sisters) by the Quebecoise artist Claude St-Jacques.

Les Trois Soeurs (The Three Sisters) is a painting by the Québecoise artist Claude St-Jacques. The original is in my Montreal living room. I tell my three sons that it's a reminder of their feminine side and oh, how they laugh. (Guys, I'm serious!) As a writer, I feel that the women are challenging me in a helpful way: fill this glorious landscape with something unique; tell only the truth; lend a voice to the unheard...