The Aspen Institute has announced the nominees for its inaugural prize in fiction, reported NPR. Among the nominees are prominent contemporary authors Jesmyn Ward, Viet Thanh Nguyen, and Roxane Gay. Also included in the list is a North Korean author, known as Bandi, whose book The Accusation “gives a glimpse inside life under a communist regime as opaque as it is ubiquitous in the West's media landscape,” according to NPR.

The Aspen Institute, widely known for its annual Ideas Festival, has initiated the literary prize to reward books that “illuminate a vital contemporary issue and demonstrate the transformative power of literature on thought and culture.”

The prize winner will be announced on April 10, following a release of the finalists in March, and will receive an award of $35,000.

See the full longlist of books.

Image credit: Courtesy of Aspen Words