Rohr literature prize names finalists

JERUSALEM (JTA) – Five fiction authors are the finalists for the 2011 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature.

The finalists, who represent important emerging voices in Jewish life and thought, were announced Thursday.

They are Allison Amend, author of “Stations West”‘ Nadia Kalman, “The Cosmopolitans,”; Julie Orringer, “The Invisible Bridge”; Austin Ratner, “The Jump Artist”; and Joseph Skibell, “A Curable Romantic.”

Established in 2006, the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature honors the contribution of contemporary writers in the exploration and transmission of Jewish values. The prize is intended to encourage and promote writing of Jewish interest. Fiction and non-fiction books are considered in alternate years.

The winner receives $100,000; the first runner-up receives $25,000.

On March 15, the finalists will meet with the fiction judges of the Sami Rohr Prize in New York, the winners will be named shortly thereafter. The award ceremony will be held in New York City on May 31.

The prize is administered under the auspices of the Jewish Book Council.