Aspen Institute announces the 2024 Aspen Words Literary Prize longlist

Aspen Words, a program of the Aspen Institute, has announced the longlist for the Aspen Words Literary Prize (AWLP), which is a $35,000 annual award for a work of fiction that illuminates a vital contemporary issue.

The 2024 works are as follows:

• “Chain-Gang All-Stars,” Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (Pantheon – Random House)
• “Temple Folk,” Aaliyah Bilal (Simon & Schuster)
• “Witness,” Jamel Brinkley (Farrar, Straus and Giroux – Macmillan)
• “The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa,” Stephen Buoro (Bloomsbury Publishing)
• “Enter Ghost,” Isabella Hammad (Grove Press – Grove Atlantic)
• “The Laughter,” Sonora Jha (HarperVia – Harper Collins)
• “What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez,” Claire Jiménez (Grand Central Publishing – Hachette)
• “Yellowface,” R.F. Kuang (William Morrow – Harper Collins)
• “I Have Some Questions for You,” Rebecca Makkai (Viking Press – Penguin Random House)
• “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store,” James McBride (Riverhead Books – Penguin Random House)
• “When Trying to Return Home: Stories,” Jennifer Maritza McCauley (Counterpoint Press – Penguin Random House)
• “The People Who Report More Stress: Stories,” Alejandro Varela (Astra House)
• “Let Us Descend,” Jesmyn Ward (Scribner – Simon & Schuster)
• “Land of Milk and Honey,” C. Pam Zhang (Riverhead Books – Penguin Random House)

“These dynamic works of fiction tackle subjects including racism, religion, capitalism, antisemitism, the United States judicial system, and others and, in doing so, exemplify our mission to connect people through stories,” said Aspen Words Executive Director Adrienne Brodeur. “It is our hope that you will find them engaging, illuminating, and provocative and that they will spark dialogue in your communities.”

The 14 titles include four story collections and 10 novels. Four of the works are by debut authors (“Temple Folk,” by Bilal; “What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez,” by Jiménez; “The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa,” by Buoro; and “When Trying to Return Home: Stories,” by Maritza McCauley).

The jury for the prize – Lan Samantha Chang, Christina Baker Kline, Anthony Marra, Chinelo Okparanta, and Simran Jeet Singh – will read all long-listed books to determine the five finalists and winner.

The finalists will be announced on March 13, 2024, and the winner will be revealed at an awards celebration, which is free and open to the public, at the Morgan Library in New York City on April 25, 2024. 

The $35,000 Aspen Words Literary Prize is awarded annually to an influential work of fiction that illuminates a vital contemporary issue and demonstrates the transformative power of literature on thought and culture. Open to authors of any nationality, the award is one of the largest literary prizes in the United States and one of the few focused exclusively on fiction with a social impact. Eligible works include novels or short story collections that address questions of violence, inequality, gender, the environment, immigration, religion, racism, or other social issues.