A New Local Opera Illuminates the Texture of Small Town Life
Albany Records; Nov. 1
A few weeks ago, soprano Andrea Edith Moore was walking her dog down an alley in her Durham neighborhood when she came across a bomb squad removing a forgotten World War II mortar. A neighbor had discovered it in a crawlspace, left there by a previous owner of the house. Mesmerized, Moore hurried home. âI was like, âIâm the nosy neighbor,â and I posted to the listserv,â Moore recalls, laughing. âI felt like I had come upon this discovery. It was a tangible moment of, âOh my gosh, Iâve got to share this.ââ
Three novels and two short story collections are in the final running for the 2021 Aspen Words Literary Prize, the nonprofit announced Wednesday.
The $35,000 annual award, now in its fourth year, goes to a work of fiction that “illuminates vital contemporary issues.”
The finalists are “Against the Loveless World” by Susan Abulhawa, “Leave the World Behind” by Rumaan Alam, “The Night Watchman” by Louise Erdrich, “The Office of Historical Corrections” by Danielle Evans and “If I Had Two Wings” by the late Randall Kenan.
The shortlisted titles address a broad range of important contemporary social issues, from the dissolution of indigenous lands to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the intersectionality of being Black and queer, as well as racism in America. They were culled from a previously announced long list of 15 titles.
Library celebrates Black History Month blockislandtimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from blockislandtimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
5 Books That Will Transform the Way You See the World
Aspen Words today announced the shortlist for the Aspen Words Literary Prize, a $35,000 annual award for a work of fiction that illuminates vital contemporary issues.
The shortlist, announced in collaboration with media partner NPR Books, includes three novels and two short story collections. The finalists Susan Abulhawa, Rumaan Alam, Louise Erdrich, Danielle Evans, and Randall Kenan have all published previous books to critical acclaim. Kenan’s short story collection was released before his death in August of last year.
The finalists were selected by a five-member jury including Emily Bernard, Sarah Ladipo Manyika, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Daniel Shaw, and Luis Alberto Urrea. The shortlisted titles address a broad range of important contemporary social issues, from the dissolution of Indigenous lands to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the intersectionality of being Black and queer, as well as racism in America.
The shortlist for this year’s $35,000 Aspen Words Literary Prize for fiction on ‘vital contemporary issues’ features three novels and two short story collections.
Finalists in the 2021 Aspen Words Literary Prize program are, from left, Susan Abulhawa (image: T. Sau); Rumaan Alam (image: David A. Land); Louise Erdrich; Danielle Evans (image: Beowulf Sheehan); and the late Kenan Randall (image: Miria Berkley
Brodeur: ‘The Way We See the World’
As our international
Publishing Perspectives readership knows, the Aspen Words Literary Award, directed by author Adrienne Brodeur, is distinctive in among book and publishing awards because of its annual search for “an influential work of fiction that illuminates a vital contemporary issue and demonstrates the transformative power of literature on thought and culture.”