“Books that imagine futures far and near, nudged or driven by science but still bound by the human experience,” have been named to the shortlist for the inaugural Neukom Institute Literary Arts Awards.

The Neukom Institute for Computational Science at Dartmouth College will announce the Neukom Institute Literary Arts Awards winners from among the shortlist in May.

Awards will be presented for a debut work and an established author in the genre of speculative fiction. Each award winner will receive a $5,000 honorarium that will be presented during a Dartmouth-hosted panel to discuss the genre and their work.

Included within the list of 11 finalist books in the speculative fiction genre are novels, a graphic novel, young adult work, and collections of stories. The finalists comprise a mix of first-time and established authors.

2018 Neukom Institute Literary Arts Awards Shortlist of Books:

• After Atlas by Emma Newman (Roc, 2016)
• Best Worst American by Juan Martinez (Small Beer Press, 2017)
• Central Station by Lavie Tidhar (Tachyon Publications, 2016)
• Children of the New World by Alexander Weinstein (Picador, 2016)
• Made for Love by Alissa Nutting (HarperCollins, 2017)
• New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit, 2017)
• On the Edge of Gone by Corrine Duyvis (Amulet/Abrams, 2016)
• Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty (Orbit, 2017)
• Telling the Map by Christopher Rowe (Small Beer Press, 2017)
• Using Life by Ahmed Naji (UT Press, 2017)
• Void Star by Zachary Mason (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2017)

“These books run the gamut in form, context, and outlook. We see irony, adventure, humor, and loss,” said Dan Rockmore, director of the Neukom Institute. “Whether describing a cloned space crew, the future of sexual relations, or everyday life in a changed environment, the Neukom shortlist is filled with essential reads that address the complexities that the future may bring.” The shortlist was prepared by Rockmore and Dartmouth colleagues Alexander Chee and Tarek El-Ariss.

The judging is spearheaded by New York Times-bestselling author Maria Dahvana Headley, whose soon-to-be-released novel The Mere Wife (MCD × Farrar, Straus & Giroux) is a contemporary retelling of the classic “Beowulf.” Headley says:

I couldn’t be more excited to judge a shortlist that represents such a diverse group of writers. It’s a privilege to get to award prizes like these, which push the boundaries between forms and genres, and which amplify the innovative work of radical thinkers, intense creators, and brave analyzers of our culture and future.

The Neukom Institute for Computational Science is dedicated to supporting and inspiring computational work. The Literary Arts Awards is part of the Neukom Institute’s initiative to explore the ways in which computational ideas impact society.

[Thanks to Gordon Van Gelder for the story. This coverage is based on the press release.]