Carolyn Ramzy Named a Finalist for the 2026 Ottawa Book Awards September 23, 2026 – Posted in: Awards, From the Publisher, Poetry – Tags: , , , , ,

We are delighted to share that Mawenzi House author Carolyn Ramzy has been named a finalist for the 2026 Ottawa Book Awards for her poetry collection, Taslīm: We Are the Prophets, Poems on a Coptic Girlhood.

Published by Mawenzi House, Taslīm is a powerful exploration of Coptic girlhood, womanhood, faith, diaspora, inheritance, and belonging. Through poetry, Ramzy examines the responsibilities placed upon Coptic women as carriers of ancestral knowledge and tradition, while also reckoning with the sacrifices, expectations, and gendered demands that can accompany that inheritance.

The Ottawa Book Awards have celebrated literary excellence in English and French since 1985, recognizing outstanding books by Ottawa authors across fiction and non-fiction. Poetry is included within the English Fiction category.

Carolyn Ramzy is an associate professor of ethnomusicology at Carleton University whose work focuses on Egyptian Coptic Christian music-making, particularly the experiences and creative practices of women navigating questions of gender, sexuality, faith, and diasporic belonging.

We are immensely proud to see Taslīm: We Are the Prophets, Poems on a Coptic Girlhood recognized among this year’s outstanding works.

The winners of the 2026 Ottawa Book Awards will be announced on Saturday, November 14, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. at Arts Court in Ottawa.

Congratulations, Carolyn, on this wonderful recognition!

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