Yiyun Li's 'Wednesday's Child' among finalists for $20,000 prize honoring short stories

NEW YORK (AP) — Short fiction by Yiyun Li, Bennett Sims and Paul Yoon are finalists for the 20th annual Story Prize, given for the year's outstanding short story collection.

Prize officials announced Tuesday that the nominees are Li's “Wednesday's Child,” Sims' “Other Minds and Other Stories” and Yoon's “The Hive and the Honey.” The Story Prize was founded in 2004 by editor Larry Dark and philanthropist Julie Lindsey, who pick the finalists. Three outside judges then choose the winners. The top prize is $20,000 and the runners-up get $5,000 each.

“Even after reading more than 20,000 short story collections over the twenty years this award has existed, we’re still encountering short story collections unlike any we’ve read before. These three books expand the form and offer profound observations about the human condition,” Dark said in a statement.

The winner will be announced March 26. Previous recipients include Anthony Doerr, George Saunders and Edwidge Danticat.