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 writer, Yamashita’s deeply creative body of work has made an enduring impact on our literary landscape,” NBF board of directors chair David Steinberger said. “Whether it’s an evocative exploration of cities, collaborative performance productions, or connecting the plots of Jane Austen to Japanese American life, […]
Awards
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 Book, One City initiative and is an author and critic. “Nancy Pearl’s energetic commitment to spreading the joy of books has truly helped build our national culture of reading,” said NBF executive director Ruth Dickey. “For decades, Nancy has worked closely with libraries, literacy organizations, […]
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 Holland House, they couldn’t get any blurbs or reviews. “It’s not that I personally was expecting fame or fortune or anything, but I felt that I had disappointed them,” she said. “So it’s quite an extraordinary moment now to suddenly have all of this attention […]
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The Romance Writers of America has rescinded its Vivian Award for AT LOVE’S COMMAND by Karen Witemeyer in the Romance with Religious and Spiritual Elements category.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 tragedy. In a statement, the RWA board of directors says they learned of the winner during the award ceremony on July 31 and held an emergency meeting to discuss the award. They continued, “RWA is in full support of First Amendment rights; however, as an […]
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 charged with “exploring the connection between science and the humanities” in order to “deepen readers’ understanding of science and technology with a focus on work that celebrates, highlights, and contributes to the diversity of voices in scientific writing.” Vice president and program director at the […]
National Book Awards Plans Live Event, For Vaccinated Guests
The National Book Awards plans to return to a live awards ceremony on November 17, for fully-vaccinated invited guests. They will use the CrowdPass app to confirm vaccination status ahead of time, and will also accept paper vaccination certificates at check-in. The National Book Foundation is also careful to note, “Should New York State protocol and health measures change, the Foundation is prepared to make whatever adjustments are necessary, including potentially shifting back to a virtual event.” And there will not be an “after party” this year. NBF executive director Ruth Dickey says in the announcement, “We are grateful for […]