The shortlist has been unveiled for the £10,000 (about $13,160) Portico Prize for Literature, which recognizes "outstanding literature that best evokes the spirit of the North." The winner will be announced January 23 at a ceremony in Manchester. This year's shortlisted titles are:
Saltwater by Jessica Andrews
Ironopolis by Glen James Brown
The Mating Habits of Stags by Ray Robinson
Black Teeth and a Brilliant Smile by Adelle Stripe
The Boy with the Perpetual Nervousness by Graham Caveney
Under the Rock: The Poetry of a Place by Benjamin Myers