Shortlist Announced For Inaugural Brooklyn Eagle Literary Prize

The Brooklyn Public Library, the Brooklyn Eagles, a group of engaged young supporters of the library, and local bookstores are celebrating Brooklyn literature this year with the inaugural Brooklyn Eagles Literary Prize!

The annual prize will be awarded to authors who have lived in Brooklyn, portrayed the borough in their work or addressed themes relevant to its life and culture.

Nominations were submitted by bookstores, librarians and Brooklyn Eagles. A panel of librarians narrowed the pool to a shortlist and a group of Brooklyn authors will chose the prizewinners.

The group will present the awards in the fall at the Brooklyn Classic, the Eagles’ premiere annual fundraising event taking place on October 23. A fiction and nonfiction prize will be awarded and prizewinners will each receive $2,500.

So if you are looking for some local literature to read, the shortlist includes:

• Delicious Foods by James Hannaham
• Preparation for the Next Life by Atticus Lish
• Lena Finkle’s Magic Barrel by Anya Ulinich
• The Edge Becomes the Center by D.W. Gibson
• The Lost Tribe of Coney Island by Claire Prentice
• I Am Sorry to Think I Have Raised A Timid Son by Kent Russell

To find out more about the new prize and to learn how you can join the Brooklyn Eagles, visit their website.