October 5, 2010--Graywolf Press is thrilled to announce that Tiphanie Yanique, author of the story collection How to Escape from a Leper Colony, has been named to the National Book Foundation's 5 Under 35 list, a prestigious honor that recognizes five young fiction writers chosen by National Book Award Winners and Finalists. A reading and party for the honorees will be held at powerHouse Arena in DUMBO, Brooklyn at the start of National Book Awards Week on Monday, November 15. Musician and author Roseanne Cash will host the event and music journalist Rob Sheffield will be the guest DJ.

Leslie Shipman, Director of Programs at the National Book Foundation, comments, "In the five years of 5 Under 35, we've been thrilled to see many of our honorees go on to receive great acclaim. We're delighted that 5 Under 35 provides us with an opportunity to recognize these young writers early in their careers, with the help of past National Book Award Winners and Finalists."

The four fiction writers rounding out the 5 Under 35 list are Sarah Braunstein (The Sweet Relief of Missing Children), Grace Krilanovich (The Orange Eats Creeps), Téa Obreht (The Tiger's Wife), and Paul Yoon (Once the Shore). Yanique was selected by Jayne Anne Phillips, a Fiction finalist in 2009.

The Mission of the National Book Foundation is to celebrate the best of American literature, to expand its audience, and to enhance the cultural value of good writing in America.

The nation's most prestigious literary prize, the National Book Award has a stellar record of identifying and rewarding quality writing. In 1950, William Carlos Williams was the first winner in Poetry, the following year William Faulkner was honored in Fiction, and so on through the years. Many previous Winners of a National Book Award are now firmly established in the canon of American literature. On November 17th, the National Book Awards will be presented in the categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Young People's Literature.

For more information on this year's 5 Under 35 honorees and past 5 Under 35 celebrations, please visit the National Book Foundation's website.