A long list of contenders for the Royal Society of Literature’s Ondaatje Prize, an award of £10,000 for a work “evoking the spirit of a place”, is due to be published later this week. The long list is one of several enhancements being made for 2019, the 15th year of the prize. Another is a session next month in which former winners will speak about “the challenges and delights” of summoning a place.