Competing against both large and indie publishers, in a field of 68 entries, C.P. Hoff’s charming and deliciously madcap novel, A Town Called Forget has been longlisted for the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour.

C.P. Hoff is the nom de plume of Connie Penner, who Connie grew up as a gypsy. Well, she could have been a gypsy if her family could have afforded the wagon. Her parents were pragmatic and raised her not to believe in aliens, but Connie is not convinced that aliens don’t believe in her.

She now lives in southern Alberta with her husband, children, and dog, Mrs. Beasley (who has a dubious reputation). She has written for the local paper, which might be impressive if she lived in New York, and if anyone read the local paper. Now that Five Rivers has taken on her first novel, she is thinking of purchasing a pipe and a smoking jacket.

The longlist for the 2017 Leacock Medal (in alphabetical order by author surname) is:

John Armstrong for A Series of Dogs, New Star Books.
Mona Awad for 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl, Penguin Canada.
Gary Barwin for Yiddish for Pirates, Random House Canada.
Judy Batalion for White Walls, New American Library/Random House Canada.
Lesley Crewe for Mary, Mary, Nimbus Publishing.
C. P. Hoff for A Town Called Forget, Five Rivers Publishing.
Marni Jackson for Don’t I Know You, Flatiron Books.
Amy Jones for We’re All in This Together, McClelland & Stewart.
Jack Knox for Hard Knox: Musings from the Edge of Canada, Heritage House Publishing.
Noah Richler for The Candidate: Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail, Doubleday Canada.
Drew Hayden Taylor for Take Us to Your Chief And Other Stories, Douglas & McIntyre.

Five Rivers Publishing wishes to extend hearty congratulations to C.P. Hoff, and all the longlist authors and publishers, and the best of fortune in the next round which will determine the shortlist. The Leacock Awards Committee will announce the shortlist May 3, 2017.