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Time for a Baileys (Women’s Prize for Fiction)!

And right in time for International Women’s Day, the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction announced the Longlist for the 2017 award!

The 2017 longlist and judges! Courtesy of http://www.womensprizeforfiction.co.uk/

This is the last year that Baileys will be sponsoring the award…insert loud, long sigh here…but the plus is that prize founder, Kate Mosse, has declared that whomever the next sponsor is will be spending the whole year promoting women’s writing, not only once a year, which, at least, makes me happy.  But, for now, let’s celebrate these phenomenal women and the stunning works they’ve given us!

For those who haven’t heard us go on and on about the greatness that is the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction, here’s a brief (but no less enthusiastic) recap:  This prize was was set up in 1996 to celebrate excellence, originality and accessibility in writing by women throughout the world.  In the 20 years since its establishment, the prize has become one of the most respected, most celebrated and most successful literary awards in the world, and remains one of the only prizes to recognize the unique contributions of women in fiction.   In a world where men (and white men…and middle-to-upper class white men) carry away a disproportionate amount of awards, where books about women are relegated to “Women’s Fiction” shelves, apart from the others (because Reasons), where female authors are categorized differently than male authors, where we desperately need more stories from different voices, the Baileys Prize (and whatever prize it shall soon be called) is a vital way to encourage new and diverse storytellers to set their voices free.  And, as readers, that means that their award is really our gain!

So without further ado…

If the book is available in the US, it will have a link.  If not, then the release information will be provided.  Enjoy!

Courtesy of http://www.womensprizeforfiction.co.uk/

Stay With Me, Ayobami Adebayo Will be released in August, 2017
The Power, Naomi Alderman Will be released in October, 2017
Hag-Seed, Margaret Atwood
Little Deaths, Emma Flint
The Mare, Mary Gaitskill
The Dark Circle, Linda Grant  Will be released in June, 2017
The Lesser Bohemians, Eimear McBride
Midwinter, Fiona Melrose Will be released in July, 2017
The Sport of Kings, C.E. Morgan
The Woman Next Door, Yewande Omotoso
The Lonely Hearts Hotel, Heather O’Neill
The Essex Serpent, Sarah Perry Will be released in June, 2017
Barkskins, Annie Proulx
First Love, Gwendoline Riley Will be released in March, 2017
Do Not Say We Have Nothing, Madeleine Thien
The Gustav Sonata, Rose Tremain