Andrea Barrett, Ling Ma, and Morgan Talty are the finalists for this year’s Story Prize, given annually to a collection of short fiction.
Barrett made the shortlist for Natural History, published last September by Norton. The latest collection from Barrett includes stories featuring Henrietta Atkins, a character she previously explored in her National Book Award–winning Ship Fever. In a starred review, a Kirkus critic called the new collection “more superb work from an American master.”
Ma was named a finalist for Bliss Montage, the follow-up to her Kirkus Prize–winning novel, Severance. In a starred review, a critic for Kirkus called her collection “haunting and artful.”
Also on the shortlist was Talty’s Night of the Living Rez, a debut collection of linked stories set in the Panawahpskek (Penobscot) Nation of Maine. A reviewer for Kirkus awarded the book a star and wrote, “Ranging from grim to tender, these stories reveal the hardships facing a young Native American in contemporary America.”
Judging this year’s prize are journalist Adam Dalva, author Danielle Evans, and literary podcaster Miwa Messer.
The Story Prize was established in 2004. Previous winners have included Our Story Begins by Tobias Wolff, Tenth of December by George Saunders, and Thunderstruck by Elizabeth McCracken.
The winner of this year’s award, which comes with a cash prize of $20,000, will be announced on March 15.
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.
