Each year, finalists and a winner of the Orion Book Award are chosen by a committee of five. This year’s selection committee includes book critic Jessa Crispin; writers Ursula Le Guin, Erik Reece, and Luis Alberto Urrea; and Orion‘s Hannah Fries.

Yesterday, our committee members returned with their votes tallied and their heads swimming with stories and essays from five incredible authors. We’re excited to announce, below, the finalists for the 2013 Orion Book Award:

• Apocalyptic Planet, by Craig Childs
• Flight Behavior, by Barbara Kingsolver
• Things That Are, by Amy Leach
• The Old Ways, by Robert Macfarlane
• The Mountain and the Fathers, by Joe Wilkins

Read more about the Award and the selection committee here, and stay tuned for more on our finalists (and eventual winner) next week!