Riverhead Vice President, Editorial Director Rebecca Saletan accepted the award on Hamid’s behalf at the awards ceremony on Tuesday night at the Morgan Library in Manhattan. Afterwards, Saletan talked with NPR’s Linda Holmes about EXIT WEST. You can find out more about the ceremony and watch Mohsin Hamid’s recorded speech here. Among Hamid’s remarks: "I'm really grateful to be honored by this prize in particular, which is a prize that looks to books to have an impact on the world." In a conversation with NPR host Michel Martin during the evening, Arimah gave advice to new writers: “Be radically honest with yourself and with everyone else.”

Lesley Nneka Arimah,   WHAT IT MEANS WHEN A MAN FALLS FROM THE SKY: Stories (Riverhead Books) Zinzi Clemmons,   WHAT WE LOSE  (Viking) Leopoldine Core,   WHEN WATCHED: Stories  (Penguin Press) Weike Wang,   CHEMISTRY (Knopf) Warm congratulations to our 5 Under 35 honorees, their editors and publishers. These authors will be celebrated at a ceremony in Manhattan on November 13, two days before this year’s National Book Awards dinner.  Each honoree will receive a $1,000 prize. They represent writers from around the world, under the age of 35, who have published their first and only book of fiction—either a short story collection or a novel—within the last five years.  Each author was selected by a National Book Award Winner, Finalist, or writer previously recognized by the 5 Under 35 program. Lisa Lucas, Executive Director of the National Book Foundation, said, “For the last twelve years, the National Book Foundation has been committed to highlighting the exceptional talent of emerging writers and to amplifying new voices.  At a moment in which we are having the necessary conversations surrounding the underrepresentation of female voices, it’s a thrill to see this list of tremendous women chosen organically by our selectors.” For more information and a complete list of the 2017 5 Under 35 honorees, click here.