Townsend Prize finalists announced

Three of the 10 books nominated for the Townsend Prize.

Three of the 10 books nominated for the Townsend Prize.

AJC Decatur Book Festival founder Daren Wang and New York Times best-selling author Joshilyn Jackson are among the finalists for the Townsend Prize, a biennial literary award for fiction.

Administered by the Chattahoochee Review and the Georgia Center for the Book, the Townsend Prize winner will be announced April 19 at the DeKalb History Center. Author Brad Watson, author of "Miss Jane," which was long-listed for the National Book Award, will be the keynote speaker.

The finalists are:

“Lilac Girls” by Martha Hall Kelly

“The Lemon Gell-O Syndrome” by Man Martin

“The Half Wives” by Stacia Pelletier

“Among the Living” by Jonathan Rabb