News: "Drift" named finalist for Story Prize

from their website:

Now in its sixth year, The Story Prize, an annual award for books of short fiction, is pleased to honor three outstanding short story collections chosen from an exceptional group published in 2009. The three finalists—all debut collections—are:

In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin
Drift by Victoria Patterson
Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned by Wells Tower

Here's their description of Drift:

The wealthy enclave of Newport Beach, California, is the setting for thirteen stories, told with grace and compassion, that focus on characters who live on the margins, including waiters, waitresses, confused children of divorce, and a beautiful, brain-damaged skateboarder.

Victoria Patterson grew up in Newport Beach and received her MFA from UC Riverside. Her short fiction has appeared in the Santa Monica Review, Florida Review, and Snake-Nation Review, among other publications. She lives with her family in South Pasadena, California.

About The Story Prize

Founder Julie Lindsey and Director Larry Dark selected the finalists for The Story Prize. Three independent judges will determine the winner. This year’s judges are writer A.M. Homes, journalist/blogger Carolyn Kellogg, and librarian Bill Kelly.

The Story Prize’s annual event will take place at the New School’s Tishman Auditorium in New York City at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 3. That night, the three finalists will read selections from their work, after which Director Larry Dark will interview each writer on-stage. At the end of the event, Founder Julie Lindsey will announce the winner and present that author with $20,000 and an engraved silver bowl. The two runners-up will each receive $5,000. Previous winners of The Story Prize are The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat (2005), The Hill Road by Patrick O’Keeffe (2006), The Stories of Mary Gordon by Mary Gordon (2007), Like You’d Understand, Anyway by Jim Shepard (2008), and Our Story Begins by Tobias Wolff (2009).

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