Aspen Words has selected two short story collections and three novels focused on contemporary social issues for the shortlist of its annual $35,000 “Aspen Words Literary Prize.”
The award goes to “a work of fiction that illuminates a vital contemporary issue and demonstrates the transformative power of literature on thought and culture,” according to a press release.
The finalists explore subjects like “immigrant farmworkers, queer love, America’s wealth gap and the aftershocks of trauma that affect Native communities in the United States as well as war-torn countries like Afghanistan.”
The shortlist includes short story collections “The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories” by Jamil Jan Kochai and “The Consequences” by Manuel Muñoz, as well as novels “How not to Drown in a Glass of Water” by Angie Cruz, “Calling for a Blanket Dance” by Oscar Hokeah and “All This Could Be Different” by Sarah Thankam Mathews.
“These five books will crack you open as only great works of fiction can, but they will also make you contemplate issues and have conversations you might otherwise never have,” Aspen Words Executive Director Adrienne Brodeur said in the release. “They are essential books to read during this moment in history.”
The award is open to authors of any nationality and is one of the largest literary prizes in the United States. The longlist was announced in December.
A five-person jury selected the shortlist, and the winner will be announced at a ceremony at the Morgan Library in New York City on April 19. Kate Tuttle, the executive editor of book coverage at People Magazine and a former book columnist for the Boston Globe, will moderate a conversation with the finalists at the event.
