Five Young Writers Chosen as Finalists for The New York Public Library’s 2013 Young Lions Fiction Award

April 22, 2013—The New York Public Library has announced the finalists for the thirteenth annual Young Lions Fiction Award. The award honors the works of dynamic, young, first time-authors. The winning writer will be awarded a $10,000 prize on May 20, 2013 at a ceremony held in the Celeste Bartos Forum of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street.

The finalists for 2013 Young Lions Fiction Award are:

Ramona Ausubel, No One Is Here Except All of Us (Riverhead)

Joshua Cohen, Four New Messages (Graywolf Press)

Katie Kitamura, Gone to the Forest (Free Press)

Kevin Powers, The Yellow Birds (Back Bay Books)

Claire Vaye Watkins, Battleborn (Riverhead)

The Young Lions Fiction Award is given annually to an American writer age 35 or younger for either a novel or collection of short stories.  Each year, five young fiction writers are selected as finalists by a reading committee of Young Lions members, writers, editors, and librarians. A panel of award judges, including Karen Russell, John Wray, and Peter Nathaniel Malae will select the winner of the $10,000 prize. Author Karen Russell was last year’s winner for her book, Swamplandia! (Knopf).

Winners from previous years include: Wells Tower, Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned; Salvatore Scibona, The End; Ron Currie, Jr., God is Dead; Olga Grushin, The Dream Life of Sukhanov; Uzodinma Iweala, Beasts of No Nation; Monique Truong,Book of Salt; Anthony Doerr, The Shell Collector; Jonathan Safran Foer, Everything is Illuminated; Colson Whitehead, John Henry Days; and Mark Z. Danielewski, House of Leaves.

About the Young Lions

The Young Lions is a membership group for New Yorkers in their 20s and 30s who are committed to supporting the work of the Library. Each season, members enjoy exclusive events that feature young writers and leaders in the arts, politics, business, law, and the media.  Through presenting dynamic events and contributing to the General Book Fund, the Young Lions are integral to the life of the Library and its future. Information about the Young Lions group, including events and forums, is available online at www.nypl.org/joinyl or phone 212-930-0885.

About The New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award

The New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award is a $10,000 prize awarded each spring to a writer age 35 or younger for a novel or a collection of short stories. Established in 2001, this annual award recognizes the work of young authors and celebrates their accomplishments publicly, making a difference in their lives as they continue to build their careers. The Young Lions Fiction Award was founded by Ethan Hawke, Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, Rick Moody, and Hannah McFarland. The Award is made possible by an endowment created with generous gifts from Russell Abrams, Nina Collins, Hannah and Gavin McFarland, Ethan Hawke, Stephan Loewentheil, Rick Moody, Andrea Olshan and Jennifer Rudolph Walsh.