I am in London this week. My story “The Fanatic” (from Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits) is a finalist for The Caine Prize for African Writing, and I’m here for readings and other related festivities. It’s a bit odd to be in England on America’s independence day. I feel like wearing a flag or something. Anyway, I am off to explore the environs and to meet a friend for tea. More soon.
StorySouth has unveiled its list of “Notable Online Stories of 2005.” The award is judged by Sefi Atta, Randa Jarrar, Kyle Minor, Bob Thurber, and Dan Wickett, and the list of top ten finalists will be announced April 1st.
The 2006 PEN/Hemingway award has been announced, and the winner is Yiyun Li for A Thousand Years of Good Prayers. The finalists were Douglas Trevor for The Thin Tear in the Fabric of Space and Daniel Alarcon for War by Candlelight. Runners-up were Jess (not Jeff!) Row for The Train to Lo Wu and Karen Olsson for Waterloo.
As has been widely reported, E.L Doctorow’s The March has won the PEN/Faulkner award. The oher finalists were William Henry Lewis, for I Got Somebody in Staunton; Bruce Wagner, for The Chrysanthemum Palace; James Salter, for Last Night.; and Pacific Northwest author Karen Fisher, for A Sudden Country.