The Center for Fiction has revealed the longlist for its First Novel Prize, which “recognizes the best debut novel of the year, and supports emerging voices in fiction.”
Among the 29 books longlisted for the award are Pan by Michael Clune, The Catch by Yrsa Daley-Ward, Sky Daddy by Kate Folk, Woodworking by Emily St. James, and Optional Practical Training by Shubha Sunder.
Aria Aber made the longlist for Good Girl, alongside Evanthia Bromiley for Crown, Colwill Brown for We Pretty Pieces of Flesh, Addie E. Citchens for Dominion, Lydi Conklin for Songs of No Provenance, Jaquira Díaz for This Is the Only Kingdom, Virginia Evans for The Correspondent, Carson Faust for If the Dead Belong Here, Rickey Fayne for The Devil Three Times, Alex Foster for Circular Motion, Rob Franklin for Great Black Hope, and Nicky Gonzalez for Mayra.
Also nominated were The Snares by Rav Grewal-Kök, Ibis by Justin Haynes, Loca by Alejandro Heredia, The Fantasies of Future Things by Doug Jones, Sleep by Honor Jones, Natch by Darrell Kinsey, Awake in the Floating City by Susanna Kwan, Behind the Waterline by Kionna Walker LeMall, Florenzer by Phil Melanson, Work Nights by Erica Peplin, Liquid by Mariam Rahmani, and North Sun, or the Voyage of the Whaleship Esther by Ethan Rutherford.
The First Novel Prize was inaugurated in 2006. Previous winners include Hannah Tinti for The Good Thief, Tiphanie Yanique for Land of Love and Drowning, and Joseph Earl Thomas for God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer.
The shortlist for this year’s award will be announced in the fall, with the winner revealed at a ceremony on December 9.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
