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7 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 15 APRIL 2026 CULTURE Maltese writer nominated for prestigious short story prize Maltese writer John Edward DeMicoli has been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2026 with his short story The Bastion's Shadow MALTESE writer John Edward DeMicoli has been shortlisted for the prestigious Common- wealth Short Story Prize 2026. DeMicoli has been recognised for his short story The Bastion's Shadow, which focuses on the experiences of an NGO worker assisting migrants. Organised by the Common- wealth Foundation, the prize celebrates outstanding unpub- lished short fiction from across the Commonwealth. DeMicoli's story has been se- lected for the Canada and Eu- rope regional shortlist, appear- ing alongside two entries from the UK, as an international panel of judges chose 25 writers from a pool of 7,806 entrants. DeMicoli said it was a "privi- lege to share this story with an international audience and to stand alongside such remarka- ble writers." "The Bastion's Shadow grew from a deep attachment to Val- letta and the sense that its lime- stone carries memory. Having witnessed the realities of migra- tion across the Mediterranean, I wanted to explore how a city built for defence might respond today, where remembering names and recognising dignity become a quiet form of guard- ianship," DeMicoli said. DeMicoli said he hoped to share his work with a wider au- dience and to be part of a com- munity that celebrates diverse voices across the Common- wealth. Maltese writer John Edward DeMicoli THE National Book Council (NBC) is offering the oppor- tunity to three Maltese and/ or Malta-based book editors, or other interested candidates, to enrol for free on the online course 'Become a Book Editor'. This six-month course will be led by renowned UK-based edi- tor, Francesco Vilhena, and will deal with the editing of literary books. Vilhena oversees editorial pro- jects at Bloomsbury Publishing, and has previously worked with Faber, Granta, and And Other Stories. He currently serves on the advisory board of the Poet- ry Translation Centre, and his work has appeared in Granta, Modern Poetry in Translation, and Asymptote, among others. The course will be hosted on the ELVTR platform between 23 July and 1 September every Tuesday and Thursday between 19:30 and 21:00, and its aim is to introduce the richness of the editorial process to par- ticipants, thus broadening the knowledge of the work that the industry requires from this as- pect. A welcome session will be hosted online on 21 June. Applications for the course are submitted via Submittable until 27th April. The course will cover vari- ous topics, from practical and underpinned by the craft of the editorial process, such as proofreading, copyediting tech- niques, manuscript evaluation and the ability to give construc- tive suggestions, to marketing, design, and legal and ethical considerations in publishing. "The NBC is proud to be of- fering the 'Become a Book Ed- itor' course for free, as part of its work to invest in fostering the skills of the local literary sector. This was made possible after fruitful meetings during the NBC's participation in the London Book Fair 2026. There we met with ELVTR, and even- tually we arrived at this tangible result of the course", said NBC Chief Executive Mark Camill- eri. He continued by saying that industry partners – including authors, publishers, and others – have long been indicating to the NBC that there is a need for improvement in the craft of lit- erary editing, and therefore the NBC seized the opportunity to address this gap in a serious and professional manner with this course. Camilleri added that this ini- tiative goes hand in hand with the Five-Year Strategic Vi- sion 2025-2030 that the NBC launched last year. The course will accommodate three participants in total, and selection will be made on a first- come, first-served basis. Those selected must attend each ses- sion, and those selected must ensure that they are available to be present for each session. Click here to read the terms and conditions . Applications for the course are submitted via Submitta- ble until April 27th. NBC offers three Malta-based book editors free enrolment in Become a Book Editor course