NEW YORK (AP) — Elizabeth McCracken, a fiction writer praised for her sharply detailed stories of grief and disaster, has won a $20,000 prize.

McCracken won the Story Prize for her collection "Thunderstruck," award officials announced Thursday night. Her other books include the novel "The Giant's House" and the memoir "An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination."

The two finalists Thursday, Lorrie Moore for "Bark" and Francesca Marciano for "The Other Language," will each receive $5,000.

The Story Prize, underwritten by the nonprofit Chisholm Foundation, was established in 2004 and honors the author "of an outstanding collection of short fiction." Previous winners include Mary Gordon, Anthony Doerr and George Saunders.