Young Lions Fiction Award Nominees Are Book Sense 76 Picks

The New York Public Library announced five nominees for its second annual Young Lions Fiction Award [YLFA], which recognizes the work of authors age 35 or younger. Remarkably, each title nominated was a Book Sense 76 pick during 2001-- proving yet again that independent booksellers know what makes for excellent literature.

Nominated for the YLFA top five are: The Muse Asylum by David Czuchlewski (Putnam), The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint by Brady Udall (Norton), and John Henry Days by Colson Whitehead (Doubleday) -- all July/August Book Sense 76 picks; Esther Stories by Peter Orner (Mariner Books/Houghton Mifflin), a March/April 76 pick; and Paradise Park by Allegra Goodman (Dial Press/Random House), on the May/June 76 list.

The ceremony will be held March 20 in the Celeste Bartos Forum at the New York Public Library’s Humanities and Social Sciences Library. The winner will receive a $10,000 award.

"[YLFA] is run by avid readers and formidable writers who believe in, and are committed to, the cultural necessity of the written word," Mark Danielewski, last year’s winner for the novel House of Leaves, said in a statement. "It’s essential for writers in the early part of their publishing lives to have opportunities for support and ratification."

YLFA stemmed from the Young Lions group, a membership organization for library supporters in their 20s and 30s. The nominees for YLFA were selected by a Reading Committee of Young Lions members, writers, and librarians, including Rodney Phillips, director of the New York Public Library’s Humanities and Social Sciences Library.

For more information on this subject, visit www.nypl.org.