“[Sherman] Alexie’s short-story collection ‘War Dances’ and [Barbara] Kingsolver’s historical novel ‘The Lacuna’ are in contention for the $15,000 prize along with [Lorraine M.] López’s ‘Homicide Survivors Picnic and Other Stories,’ [Lorrie] Moore’s ‘A Gate at the Stairs’ and [Colson] Whitehead’s ‘Sag Harbor.'”