The Los Angeles Times kicked off their weekend festival of books with the naming of their annual book prize winners, which included:
Fiction: Marilynne Robinson, HOME
First Fiction: Zoe Ferraris, FINDING NOUF
Young Adult: Terry Pratchett, NATION
Current Interest: Barton Gellman, ANGLER: The Cheney Vice Presidency
Though this year’s awards presentation was downsized to the newspaper’s offices and not open to the public, LA Observed says “LAT publisher Eddy Hartenstein pledged publicly that the Times Book Prizes would continue next year, and at least some judges were already asked to return.”
On Saturday afternoon, heavy winds knocked down a scaffolding on the
UCLA campus where the festival is held, injuring three attendees.
UCLA newsroom
Complete list of prize winners
Also in Los Angeles, the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America handed out the 2008 Nebula Awards, with Ursula K. Leguin winning the prize for a novel for POWERS.
And in a bit of irony, former LAT books editor turned literary agent Steve Wasserman was at the LAX Westin, picking up two Maggie awards from the Western Publishing Association in his part-time role as literary editor for Truthdig.com