Aspen Words will announce the winner of a $35,000 literary prize on Thursday night, recognizing one work of fiction that considers vital contemporary issues.
There are five finalists for the award, including debut authors and seasoned writers, who explored themes like race, religion and ethics in their works.
Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah is the author of “Chain-Gang All-Stars,” a dystopian satire about the carceral system.
Isabella Hammad wrote “Enter Ghost,” which explores themes of family, displacement and resistance, as an actress returns to her ancestral homeland in Palestine.
Jamel Brinkley is in the running for his short story collection, “Witness,” about people who must decide whether to speak up or take action in critical moments.
James McBride is the author of “The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store,” which begins as a murder mystery and evolves into a portrait of Black and Jewish neighbors in the 1920s and ‘30s.
Aaliyah Bilal rounds out the list with her short story collection “Temple Folk,” which considers the rich and diverse perspectives of Black American Muslims.
The shortlist was selected by a panel of internationally-recognized authors, who also determined the winner. (A separate committee determined which books would be longlisted.)
Reporter Kaya Williams spoke with head judge Christina Baker Kline to find out what it takes to become a finalist for the prize. This conversation has been edited and condensed.
That's, I think, the key to what we were looking for: Books that will stay with you, books that matter in the long run, and that people should read.— Christina Baker Kline, head judge of the Aspen Words Literary Prize
Kaya Williams: I'd love for you to tell me a little bit, for folks who aren't familiar with this prize, about the philosophy behind it. Why a prize for fiction with a social impact? What are you evaluating there?
Christina Baker Kline: It's such a great idea for a prize, because it focuses not only on literary merit — which is important in every literary prize that can be given and is of course central to what we're looking for — but it also is about finding a rich, diverse array of authors, voices and books that people might not otherwise know about.
I mean, our shortlist is unquestionably a reflection of our world today.
Williams: What stood out to you about the finalists? What has brought these books onto this list?
Kline: We were all really impressed with the books that were the semifinalists, all of them. By the time we had sort of winnowed it down to the finalists, there was just no question that any of these books could be the prizewinner, because we chose them all, looking for that spark.
What we really felt about these five books that we ended up with is that they each were original. The voices were distinct and distinctive. The quality of the writing, of course, was incredibly high. But they also left you with a memorable story, a narrative — Each of them, even the short story collections.
And that's, I think, the key to what we were looking for: Books that will stay with you, books that matter in the long run, and that people should read.
Williams: Now, you yourself are a rather accomplished author. I'm curious, in the act of looking at other author’s works in this way as a juror, has it shaped or influenced or changed at all the way that you think about writing and think about the process of this work?
Kline: I think for me, the process of reading really good work is always transformative. I think my writing has changed over the years as a result of the books I've read.
When I started writing, I was reading a lot of early modernism, and Virginia Woolf and those writers. But I was also reading a lot of 19th century work.
And I do think that reading contemporary fiction is actually really important and useful for working writers. The world is changing, and it's important to keep up with what people are writing about.
A lot of our selections are writers who are younger than I am. And that's really important, too, and helpful, just to know about the foment in the world: how social movements have made their way into people's work, how families have changed, how voices have become emboldened and allowed, that maybe didn't have a place in the world before.
Williams: Do you imagine that these books will, much like the works of Virginia Woolf, still have some resonance in the 22nd century, perhaps?
Kline: I think every book we chose is pretty timeless, actually, yes.
I think these books will live on. I've no question they'll live on. And for the younger writers on our list, I hope that being a finalist for this prize and having the success will be a boost that will keep them going.
Writing is not an easy profession. And a lot of people get discouraged. And prizes like this, I think, in addition to rewarding beautiful work, (are) meant to encourage writing and encourage writers to continue on.
And, you know, we have some people who've written a number of books already, and we have some who are new. And I want to encourage all of them to keep going because these books will live on but we're eager to hear more from them as well.
Aspen Words will announce the winner of the Literary Prize on April 25 at the Morgan Library in New York. A watch party will take place at the Pitkin County Library at 4:30 p.m. Aspen Public Radio will record the ceremony, and broadcast it at 8 p.m.
You can find interviews with several of the finalists at aspenpublicradio.org. Author James McBride did not respond to requests for an interview with Aspen Public Radio, but you can hear his conversation with NPR’s Scott Detrow here.
