The National Book Award ceremonies were last night. Did you watch them? They don’t have the audience of the Oscars or the Emmies, but at least in this internet world you could follow the progress online, and now view the tape (or stream, I suppose it is these days).
In the fiction category, Jaimy Gordon’s Lord of Misrule won in a field of three women and two men.
In non-fiction, Patti Smith’s Just Kids won … in a field of three women and two men.
In children’s literature, Kathryn Erskine’s Mockingbird won in a field of … you’ve guessed it, haven’t you?
And it poetry, in a field of … yes, this trend continues: three women and two men! But Terrance Hayes’s Lighthead won.
Well, I guess women can’t win them all! (And I’m not going to look back to see how many years men won them all. Really, I’m not!)
More details on the National Book Award Website, as well as the stream of the ceremony. And if you listen to NPR this morning, you can hear a lovely snippet of Patti Smith, a rock star who is overwhelmed with emotion at having won the National Book Award, even if it doesn’t have the rating share of the Grammy Ceremony. Or even a Neilson share of any sort. – Meg
