How WR Cade McDonald has distinguished himself, and what added value he could give the Ottawa Redblacks

Recently, the Commonwealth Short Story Prize faced credible allegations that several of its regional winners were AI-generated. Granta, the literary magazine that published the stories, found itself drawn into the controversy. The Commonwealth Short Story Prize matters. It selects five regional winners annually—one each from Africa, Asia, Canada and Europe, the Caribbean, and the Pacific—who then compete for the overall prize. Over the years, it has identified emerging authors whose careers came to justify the prize’s reputation: Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi (overall winner, 2014), for...