The finalists for the Aspen Words Literary Prize have been revealed, with five authors in contention for the annual award given to “a work of fiction that illuminates a vital contemporary issue and demonstrates the transformative power of literature on thought and culture.”
James McBride made the shortlist for The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, his novel about a Pottstown, Pennsylvania, neighborhood inhabited by Black and Jewish residents. The book won last year’s Kirkus Prize and was named the best book of the year by Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Jamel Brinkley was named a finalist for his story collection Witness, a Kirkus Prize finalist, while Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah was shortlisted for Chain-Gang All-Stars, his dystopian novel about two imprisoned gladiators forced to fight for their freedom in a future America. The book was a finalist for the National Book Award.
Isabella Hammad made the shortlist for Enter Ghost, about a Palestinian actor who returns to her hometown of Haifa, while Aaliyah Bilal was named a finalist for Temple Folk, her National Book Award–shortlisted story collection about Black Muslims in the U.S.
The Aspen Words Literary Prize was established in 2018. Past winners include Mohsin Hamad for Exit West, Louise Erdrich for The Night Watchman, and Dawnie Walton for The Final Revival of Opal & Nev.
The winner of this year’s award, which comes with a cash prize of $35,000, will be revealed at a ceremony in New York on April 25.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
