Finalists announced in quest for BPL literary prize

The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) on Thursday, August 6 announced the short list for its inaugural Brooklyn Eagles Literary Prize.

Three fiction and three nonfiction works were selected from a long list of nominees submitted by borough bookstores, librarians and the Brooklyn Eagles – a volunteer group that dedicates its time and raise funds for the public library system.

“The shortlists for the Brooklyn Eagles Literary Prize feature works of fiction and nonfiction that contribute much to our understanding of both contemporary and historical Brooklyn,” said BPL President and CEO Linda Johnson.

Those books up for the award in the fiction category are: Delicious Foods, by James Hannaham, Preparation for the Next Life, by Atticus Lish, and Lena Finkle’s Magic Barrel, by Anya Ulinich.

On the nonfiction side are DW Gibson’s The Edge Becomes the Center, Kent Russell’s I Am Sorry to Think I Have Raised a Timid Son, and Claire Prentice’s The Lost Tribe of Coney Island: Headhunters, Luna Park, and the Man Who Pulled off the Spectacle of the Century.

Shortlists will be evaluated by accomplished writers and judges – to be named later this summer – with both prizes to be awarded on October 23 at the Brooklyn Eagles’ premier annual fundraising event, the Fall Classic.