Essay John Weir Adapted from a photo by Jake weirick on Unsplash Like a dead pop star, Susan Sontag left behind a lot of fans who claim they knew her. After the release last September of Benjamin Moser’s new biography, Susan Sontag: Her Life and Work, they were all over the internet, sharing stories. Writers, of course. Especially queer writers. Does every queer writer who lived in New York City and published a book sometime between 1960 and 2000 have a Sontag story? I do! Here’s mine: Eighteen years ago, shortly after she won the National Book Award for her fourth novel, In America, some of which she had been accused of plagiarizing, and a few months before she published, in the New Yorker, maybe the only response to the 9/11 attacks, in their immediate aftermath, that was worth considering, she was invited, along with John Updike and Norman Mailer, to read at Queens College CUNY, where I teach creative writing. Surely the most impressive trio of literary bigwigs of a certain era ever to read together in Flushing. Three idols. I had long regarded their work with awe and envy. In my early twenties, in the 1980s, in a studio apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, hot and airless in summer, frigid in winter, I read—eagerly, jealously—everything they wrote. I was an aspiring writer, and they were my workshop instructors and problematic literary parents. Updike’s Couples taught me how to do a party scene. Mailer’s An American... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2020-01-07 22:09:56 UTC ]
Yōko Ogawa’s acclaimed surrealist novel—the story of a young woman, struggling to maintain her career as a writer on a island where objects are disappearing, who concocts a plan to hide her endangered editor from the Memory Police—was one of the sleeper hits of 2019, garnering rave reviews, a... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-10-09 15:15:45 UTC ]
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National Book Award winning author Jacqueline Woodson, acclaimed sci-fi author N.K. Jemisin, and novelist Cristina Rivera Garza were among the handful of authors chosen to receive this year’s 21 John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowships. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-10-07 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The National Book Award Finalists are here! The winners will be announced November 18, 2020, in a virtual ceremony. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-10-06 16:50:00 UTC ]
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Interviews Randy Ribay was born in the Philippines and raised in the Midwest. He’s the author of After the Shot Drops and An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes. His latest book, Patron Saints of Nothing, is a powerful coming-of-age story about... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2020-09-29 13:14:12 UTC ]
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Autumn means changing leaves, apple-based baked goods, decorative gourds, pumpkin spice lattes—and an avalanche of literary award longlists. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the must-read National Book Award nominees you’re now realizing you didn’t read, why not base your TBR pile off of... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2020-09-25 11:00:06 UTC ]
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Subscribe on Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Author Sigrid Nunez, who won the National Book Award for 2018’s The Friend, joins Kate and Eric to talk about her new novel, What Are You Going Through, which focuses on the narrator’s close relationship to a friend with a terminal illness. The work... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books
[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2020-09-18 19:48:22 UTC ]
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Last but certainly not least: it’s the time for fiction! The National Book Foundation has announced the ten books contending for this year’s National Book Award for Fiction. The award, created in 1950, is the most prestigious literary prize in the United States, rewarding bold and cogent... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-09-18 14:15:26 UTC ]
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Ibi Zoboi is a bestselling author and National Book Award finalist who has advocated for art programs for youth. Her most recent book, Punching the Air, is co-written with Yusef Salaam of the Exonerated Five. Liza Jessie Peterson is an award-winning playwright, actress, poet and advocate for... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-09-18 08:47:25 UTC ]
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Today, the National Book Foundation announced the longlist for the 2020 National Book Award for Nonfiction. The National Book Awards, created in 1950, is the most prestigious literary prize in the United States, rewarding quality and cogent writing. This year’s longlist features a mix of debut... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-09-17 19:15:43 UTC ]
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And now, it’s the time for the poets! Today, the National Book Foundation announced the longlist for the 2020 National Book Award for Poetry. The National Book Awards, created in 1950, is the most prestigious literary prize in the United States, rewarding bold and cogent writing. According to... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-09-17 14:15:43 UTC ]
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In more literary news, the National Book Foundation has just announced the longlist for the 2020 National Book Award for Translated Literature. The longlist includes ten novels originally published in eight different languages: Arabic, German, Spanish, Persian, Tamil, Korean, Japanese, and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-09-16 19:15:16 UTC ]
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Nunez’s first novel since winning the National Book Award follows a woman and her terminally ill friend. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-09-16 16:32:08 UTC ]
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‘Tis the season for book awards! Today, the National Book Foundation announced the longlist for the 2020 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. The National Book Awards, created in 1950, is the most prestigious literary prize in the United States, rewarding quality and cogent... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-09-16 14:15:20 UTC ]
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This week, the National Book Foundation is announcing the 2020 National Book Award longlists, from young people's literature to fiction, Wednesday through Friday. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-09-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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News and Events World Literature Today, the University of Oklahoma’s award-winning magazine of international literature and culture, announced today that the 2020 Neustadt Lit Festival will be held entirely online from Oct. 19-21. The festival will... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2020-09-10 12:52:47 UTC ]
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With voter registration deadlines approaching and misinformation around voter fraud spreading, a newly-formed coalition of writers is volunteering their time to defeat Donald Trump in the presidential election this fall. The group, Writers Against Trump—whose initial members include Paul Auster,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-08-25 17:07:21 UTC ]
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A prolific writer, she published more than 75 books, including a Best Seller and a National Book Award finalist, all while encouraging aspiring authors. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-08-05 21:52:08 UTC ]
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Today, Simon and Schuster announced that their imprint Scribner will be publishing the debut novel for adults from #1 New York Times bestselling children’s book author Jason Reynolds, whose books include Look Both Ways and Ghost, both finalists for the National Book Award for Young People’s... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-07-22 16:30:17 UTC ]
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In case you forgot: in 2016, legendary civil rights leader and Congressman John Lewis won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, along with co-writer Andrew Aydin and artist Nate Powell, for his graphic novel March: Book Three, the third volume in his trilogy about his... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-07-20 13:26:18 UTC ]
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The National Book Foundation has announced that this year’s National Book Awards events—including the 71st annual ceremony—will be held digitally, due to the ongoing, not-even-remotely-controlled, coronavirus pandemic. Lisa Lucas, the National Book Foundation’s Executive Director, said of the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-07-10 14:22:53 UTC ]
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