The New York Public Library revealed the finalists for its annual Young Lions Fiction Award, given to “a writer age 35 or younger for a novel or a collection of short stories.”
Fatimah Asghar made the shortlist for this year’s prize with their debut novel, When We Were Sisters, which was previously longlisted for the National Book Award. Elaine Hsieh Chou was named a finalist for Disorientation, her debut novel, which is being developed as a film by Malala Yousafzai’s production company.
Zain Khalid is a finalist for his debut novel, Brother Alive, which was previously shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle’s John Leonard Prize. Reyes Ramirez made the shortlist for the short story collection The Book of Wanderers, while David Sanchez was named a finalist for his debut novel, All Day Is a Long Time.
The judges for this year’s prize are authors Jessamine Chan (The School for Good Mothers), Claire Luchette (Agatha of Little Neon), and Kalani Pickhart, who won last year’s award for I Will Die in a Foreign Land.
The Young Lions prize, which comes with a cash award of $10,000, was founded in 2001 by a group of NYPL supporters including actor Ethan Hawke and novelist Rick Moody. Previous winners have included Ling Ma for Severanceand Bryan Washington for Lot.
The winner of this year’s award will be announced June 15 at a ceremony at the NYPL’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.
