Here are the seven shortlisted debut novels for the 2019 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize.
Lit Hub is excited to announce the shortlist for the 2019 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. This year’s judging panel included Tommy Orange, Emma Straub, Monique Truong, Maaza Mengiste, and Claire Messud. They are:
De’Shawn Charles Winslow, In West Mills
Chia-Chia Lin, The Unpassing
Julia Phillips, Disappearing Earth
Pitchaya Sudbanthad, Bangkok Wakes to Rain
Ocean Vuong, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous
Joe Wilkins, Fall Back Down When I Die
Lauren Wilkinson, American Spy
The First Novel Prize, launched in 2006, was created as part of our literary nonprofit’s central mission to promote the art of storytelling and help further the careers of new writers. This annual prize carries a $10,000 cash award. Each of the other shortlisted authors will receive a $1,000 award. The finalists will read from their books and celebrate their achievement with the wider literary community at the First Novel Fête on December 9, 2019, to be held at the Center’s downtown Brooklyn location. The following evening, we will present the award to the winner at the Center’s Annual Benefit and Awards Dinner in New York City.
The Center for Fiction, the only US literary center devoted to fiction, brings diverse communities together as readers and writers to develop and share a passion for fiction and explore its profound influence on our society. Through public events, educational programs, fellowships, and awards, we support the creation and enjoyment of fiction in a collaborative and creative environment that will assure a strong future for storytelling in all its forms across boundaries of identity and experience.
