The National Book Foundation named their 5 Under 35 fiction writers for 2021. Chair of the NBF board David Steinberger said, “Each year, we take great pleasure in honoring five authors whose debut titles provide a first look at their exceptional talent as fiction writers. Their remarkable books are an achievement, and it’s a privilege […]
Awards
NBF to Honor Karen Tei Yamashita
The National Book Foundation will award Karen Tei Yamashita the 2021 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, to be presented at the in-person National Book Award ceremony in November. (The presenter of the award is to be announced.) Her novel I HOTEL was a National Book Award Finalist in 2010. “A bold and groundbreaking […]
Nancy Pearl to Receive NBF Lifetime Achievement Award
The National Book Foundation will present former librarian Nancy Pearl with the 2021 Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community. Washington Post book critic Ron Charles will present the award at the National Book Award ceremony on November 17. In addition to library work in cities across the country, Pearl created the One […]
Booker Longlisting Lifts South African Novel That Had 500-Copy First Printing
The Guardian reports that Karen Jennings’ Booker Prize–longlisted novel AN ISLAND had a first printing of 500 copies, now enjoying more demand. The un-agented South African author says, “It was incredibly difficult to find a publisher… I finished the novel in 2017. And no one was interested.” Once it was eventually acquired by indie press […]
RWA Rescinds Witemeyer’s Vivian Award
The Romance Writers of America has rescinded its Vivian Award for AT LOVE’S COMMAND by Karen Witemeyer in the Romance with Religious and Spiritual Elements category. The book opens with a scene of a US Army captain at the Wounded Knee Massacre and has been criticized for racist depictions of Indigenous people and romanticizing a […]
Awards: NBF Receives Grant to Highlight Science and Technology Books By Diverse Authors
The National Book Foundation will launch a new prize for books by diverse authors writing about science and technology, backed by a three-year, $525,000 grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Three books a year will receive $10,000 awards, with the first titles to be selected in winter/spring 2022. The Science + Literature program is […]