.. >> >> finally the literary award for outstanding

service to the american literary community will go to ms. zimmer we will learn more about that this evening. this is the booktv coverage of the red carpet of the national book awards in new york city. after this you will see the actual board sarah ray. -- awards ceremony. >> good to see you. [inaudible conversations] spec on the red carpet right now is one of the finalists. she's having her picture taken. hopefully we can talk to her in just a minute as a cartoonist of "the new yorker". joining us now on their red carpet is david steinberger

president and ceo of perseus publishing group and also chairman of the national book foundation and. what is that? >> the national book foundation is committed to increase the impact of culture what we are best known for is a national book awards it is great to see her up there it is the first graphic novel or the first graphic works ever to win it is for her amazing book. >> host: did we just hear your vote? >> i don't have the vote we have judges we fly in from around the country. for different restaurants for different categories. we tell them you cannot get the check and tell you make a decision and so nobody knows though better -- though winner.

>> host: how do you pick the judges? one was the first or the former president of brown university. >> other the leaders of the culture is an academic, a critic, a journalist or a library and -- library and it is a huge commitment to reach eight -- to read a huge amount of books they do wonderful job. >> can anyone submit a book? finigan has to be published in the united states when with in the year. and that is the requirement. >> host: what about self publishing? >> it is of great question we had discussions about that but nothing right now readkiddoread you have any nominees from perseus?

>> we do in the fiction category. we tried to stay impartial but it would be great to win tonight. >> host: many different iterations of the national book awards. do you thank you have hit a rhythm? >> we're always thinking what is the right way and we go back to the mission to books on culture. that is like the famous after party. and opening fed judging other than writers. we're still making progress we have a bigger crowd tonight the largest leveraged rest.

who -- ever addressed. >> host: keep buying your ceo hat. it seems the publishing industry is settling down a little bit. is that fair assessment? >> interesting question. it is an exciting and dynamic time. it never seems to get dull. amazon is a very vibrant industry. never a dull moment. >> host: david steinbrenner from the perseus group like running press and chairman of the national book foundation. >> host: now one of the finalists for the nonfiction

category you have probably saved her work but not her face. can we talk about something more pleasant? the first graphic novel, and the more. to be nominated. >> for the nonfiction and category. the graphic memoir stitches was nominated for the young adults but this is the first nonfiction. >> host: it is non-fiction? what are you writing about? >> the book is about my parents last year's and by taking care of them and that whole part of life which we were all in complete denial. that is the title can we talk about something more

pleasant which is what my father would say. when they did pass a waiver 95 and 97 so there were a number of years i did not know where we were going. >> host: people who see your work know that you have a sense of humor and this is no different. >> there were some very grim aspects but also funny things and it was a combination of a lot of the motions -- demotions. >> host: how did you find you were nominated? >> the publisher is "doonesbury" and my editor called me. >> host: what was your reaction? >> i was shocked extremely surprised and happy it is a great honor.

>> host: when did you start with "the new yorker"? >> 1978. a long time ago. >> host: how did you get into cartoons? in a generic sense. >> guest: i always loved to draw from the time i was little. i like to write and things that were funny. and cartooning was a wonderful way to combine writing and drawing and one thing about this book that with happy to do is i felt that i did not have to just use the text or pictures but david couple of another's polemist. -- poems it is very flexible

>> host: can we talk about something more pleasant is the name of the book. a familiar face to the booktv watchers harvard scientist, to pull a surprise and 20 books? >> 32. >> host: i underestimated. >> i am very self-absorbed. [laughter] >> host: dr. wilson has written one that has been nominated the meaning of human existence. >> guest: i think it is the relationship between the ambition of a writer and this book. >> what is the meaning of human existence dr. wilson?

>> guest: from the beginning of the book i think of lots of the content good the by to expressions and one of them is we are a sub one maladaptive species that we have ended up with the paleolithic demotion with us in medieval institutions. it is a crazy and dangerous mix. the meeting is where we come from in the way i approach a.

and for where we come from that makes no sense except through biology. to find that linkage between humanity with a history and self examination on the one side and the science on the other side that explains how it happens. >> host: if we flunked biology what is paleolithic been? >> guest: this turn age. >> host: are we an accident? >> guest: in a sense we are because it is a combination of very rare evolutionary events and i have been studying the origin of the social system. i have found the 20 or so

times the advanced social behavior existed. let's wait times it has originated and said to take the last leap ochered with groups competing about other groups. was inedible big enough and there are a fault. with the large primate.

>> a probe landed on a comet recently and they found carted or the basic building block of human existence. what is your reaction? >> but in the book that we're now discussing i take that up at some length of how many star systems we have to go out to. but in a few years. >> host: what days your fascination? >> guest: from my boyhood

and i soon discovered as an undergraduate to offer a tremendous opportunity. and that is what i really got started with. but we don't see or hear. >> host: in your long career at harvard have you changed your mind about theories you supported in the past? >> guest: i was one of the principal supporters of the

series of when i brought out of a book in 1970. i thought we had this solution of kinship through cooperation. but in the last 10 years we're finding more facts with this theory and mathematicians and others said experts who have now dismissed that theory and have returned the origin of social behavior back to the tested principles of population genetics. it is not a new theory but an extension of modern today for social behavior. this is in the book also.

for what it means now. >> host: what is the 33rd book about? >> the next one coming up is called finished -- it is finished in the hands of my publisher. and then with that approach which would give half to the

other 8 million species. we actually can do with a hand in the new book i will show it. >> host: the meaning of human existence i have to be a little cheeky. i have heard when people say what should i do with a dance in my kitchen? it is what i most often asked i tell them watch where you step. get some cookie crumbs may be some tuna and put on the floor then watch as the scouts and yet finds it to report back to the nest's through the invisible centralia signals to bring

members of the colony to surrounded and protected it and eats it. you will thereby seek life no different from our own that might be from another planet. >> host: national book award finalist edward wilson. thank-you. this is booktv live coverage of the national book awards and as you can see the red carpet area is filling up we will be live later with the award ceremonies as well. the ideal is the host this evening and also known as lebanese ticket -- lemmony

snicket. >> as we continue to talk to some of finalist in the nonfiction category we have a finalist here as well. how do you approach what was your approach? >> so i approached as to

relate that to the stories ;

>> >> many members of the taliban tried to join that u.s. government side but part of the story why of days urgency. >> you were over there with the "wall street journal"? >> among others. and christian monitor senate where did you grow up? what made you go over to afghanistan? >> i am from new jersey eyelift in new york city during 9/11 and saw the attacks. from then on i was very fixated on that part of the world views to the physics and chemistry actually

switched careers. but i was fascinated with a felt i was not getting adequate understanding so i moved to afghanistan to try to figure it out. >> host: how long were you there? women's 3-1/2 years and that would definitely go back. >> host: what is it like to be in callable today? >> it is like an island that is very safe and controlled the surrounding it is insurgency and violence so being in kabul is like being in a bubble. >> host: they just had their election with a new president coming in. what is your assessment? finigan many are very hopeful because he operates very differently than karzai he was about cultivating patronage were now they are about building the afghans other is hope that he does

not have a lot of hope -- our power because of the bourse saw his ability to affect fundamental change is limited to a seventh note goodman among the living. >> it is a proverb that refers to the idea there are no heroes our savior's the only option is survival. >> host: good luck. thank you for joining us on booktv. [inaudible conversations] >> host: as you can see we

are filling up with publishers and authors. after the red carpet arrivals there are six awards given now for poetry poetry, young adult, a fiction and nonfiction and to literary awards. of this is the author and also an award given not for outstanding contributions to the literary community given to the ceo and president of a group called first book. >> host: tennessee williams. what is your fascination?

>> the greatest american and a playwright he essentially a and defined the postwar boom. and in his great years between 1944 and 1955 the american per-capita income, tripled. and people could pursue their desires the he would write about desire and need a and a longing to help shape that discussion between self sacrifice had selfing aggrandizement. was impetuous stand there was all reflected. >> host: was teeeight

socialite? >> not settle. this thing about williams he wrote wonderful poetry or stuff that has never been published. so he did much more work and after all made movies were made. and he defines postwar america. and did not have that folklore reach.

if you just say staley or maggie but they are larger. >> host: picked us side. and i say your last name correctly? >> it is far -- iran's with hour. >> but with tennessee he ticket and then they were pathfinders as they pass finding. but among the danger is world. >> host: what about american southern writers

that we celebrate or steady? >> guest: i don't recognize that category. but they have great eloquence, a great humor, that is to say slavery with a sense of guilt that filters through the narratives of the southern writers. >> host: if the name sounds familiar coming from the family did you know, tennessee williams?

>> i was the manager of lincoln center when we did the first major revival in nearly seven days. but to recognize that you don't need to necessarily those of a person because with the diaries are the letters was the most autobiographical and what my book does is the internal geography and said his internal states at the time so there are many, many

things like the gps system what he was thinking and feeling while he was writing all these great plays. that is fascinating. >> where are the papers stored? >> replaces the early part is that the harry resin your center in austin and columbia. and there is a small holding at the new orleans historical society. >> host: what is the pressure like to be the drama critic? >> no pressure i was the second longest job and i held overture to one years. have the keys to the kingdome with your ambitions

to do your job. misgives you access to virtually anybody. from woody allen and digested one -- but they know i will write about them but to the they're yorker is fact checked is deadly serious. >> host: have you identified another topic for your next book? >> that person has agreed in principle but i will not say but it is a collection called joyride that puts modern playwrights into

context so those like arthur miller over the 21 years. >> host: one of the five non-fiction finalists, tennessee williams. thank you. [inaudible conversations] you were watching booktv on c-span2 at the national book awards for the 16th year in a row. in new york city. that is where this is held down on wall street. talking with the non-fiction finalists. [inaudible conversations]

>> host: joining us here on booktv is one of the award winners. what is the first book? >> the organization to provide it branded new books basically for anyone serving children is indeed. we have a network of 350,000

classrooms and places we provide resources it is a relationship call collaborative disruption to aggregate for the first time ever to serve the base of the economic pyramid the lowest 30% for programs our classrooms and have never been reached by the public seeing - - publishing industry. it is music to is the years but we represent a brand-new market to reach out to them as children then their children will be readers. >> washington d.c. >> host: how did you get started. >> i was a lawyer at the time to be better not.

if you are a slow learner they catch you to make you a a lawyer i started to tutor kids after worked so one thing led to another 23 years ago and almost 120 million books in. >> host: where to get your money? >> 50% is self funded with individuals and foundations are very generous. >> host: do you miss being a lawyer? >> no. i love the challenge and the love to turn on the of light for kids is addicting.

>> host: had you gone into the e-books as well? in a clear just darden also with mobile we want to reach for whatever means they want we want to be there for them >> host: award for outstanding service to the american and the literary community for you by somebody with you? >> this is my son. >> host: you are on c-span does mom never make you watch c-span? have you heard of that? >> not really. >> we are not a big tv family. >> oh my. i don't know why we're talking to you. what are you reading right now? in the era gone.

>> host: how did you find out you would win? >> did you nominate yourself? >> heavens no. i got a wonderful film called spinach do you know, who nominated you? been a kid is the secret. >> host: reba like to visit you and we will see what you do a spinoff that would be great to 7/8 to meet you. lookout for lemmony snicket. booktv on the red carpet literary award for outstanding service to the american literary community. the first book is the name of her organization. booktv on c-span2. [inaudible conversations] >> host: making his way

across the red carpet is the other finalist with a first book age of ambition. congratulations what is your book about? >> my book is about china where i lived eight years it is between the people like david tutto and though a very fortunate for grumman sarah "the chicago tribune" then i was hired by "the new yorker" magazine and i have spent their six years. i have been in the west for one year when you come home that sense of wonder and curiosity leads you. you got to run an errand and something happens and it becomes part of your story.

>> a lot of books are written about china and the relationships that is. how did you approach it? >> writing those our product and experience not washington but living through this transformation of that country? going through a similar rapid development process so that piqued my a curiosity. >> host: who is one of the folks that you followed? >> is not the person that i set out that is from the

serious work what i discovered to be unbelievably interested in the idea of self creation of. with the old self-help books there really was something familiar. if he learned english that would catapult -- catapulted amount it did many ways it felt like an honest reflection but on the other hand, another breaking get it there was very instructive in its own way.

not public affairs is not your publisher? oregano that is where my father has been and he founded. their runs in the family long before i ever thought of writing a book. he is here tonight. >> host: what is the sixth africans? >> validation and that the book is here to stay. the way to tell a story the fact that there are things you cannot do into a thousand words less than 140 characters. but the ability to spin out a story is something very special and a durable. >> host: will you return to china? >> i will be back frequently but not for a while i needed to get some space to see

more clearly. it is nice to be closer to home. >> agent of ambition and. a finalist for the national book award. poetry fiction end of nonfiction. we're talking to the final list tonight. we have been called into the ballroom for the dinner so we will end the red carpet coverage at that time so we will try to do with the camera as 65 austria at the bank with a whole.

it is $1,000 a ticket. for the award category. into a literary achievement awards are given your by ching the of booktv coverage of the 65th annual national book awards coverage on c-span2. >> ladies and gentleman please take your seats as we begin the medal ceremony.

good evening. fellow literary nerds. my game is daggled known as lemmony snicket welcome to the national book awards. [cheers and applause] no into the world as a random data in november the 19th though they excavate is coming up wide web leave things to the last minute? as the rest of the zero world marches through november we gather here the night the like the oscars if nobody gave a shit like the oscars but we do. [laughter] at first glance all of us

hanging around wall street might look like 1%. but that is just myself. look beyond the exteriors you will find people who were forsaking the adrenaline to indulges a the pleasures. we choose to live in a quiet world the broader that is more delicious. where else can reset in a room to ask the question tsa carl got too much attention? [laughter] without receiving the answer who is carl? [laughter] tonight the recognition of the world including quite a few routine guiliani congratulates the authors

has nothing to say about the iranians and michael jordan says everything for they gave me narrative prose. and allow me to author my support for all the publishers just kidding i will slaughter you all. [applause] it seems a little aggressive i joined these friends while most of the literary types will spend a year kissing up to pamela paul. those that spent there days and nights with the pile of literature of fiction we mean to read or pretend to have read or for other people to read or young people literature we re-gift to those we don't know that

well. the judge is whittled down the books to then slid down the of five that is the best threats since twitter. tonight though bidders will be announced the first marvel at the nominees. in the fiction category a wide variety of subject matter but as of old lebanese woman losing her grip of childhood with buried secrets and the horrors of world war ii the iraq war, the afghanistan war, and the apocalypse. [laughter] that the action committee knows how to party. with a nonfiction it is our region encompassing memoir

memoir, a biography of philosophy but also books that received a great deal of attention and off the beaten path when is the meaning of human existence by edward wilson. there is a book called the meaning of existence if you have not cracked it open remember that when you watch "orange is the new black". [laughter] of the five finalists of poetry were women or not good enough. to our african-american or probable cause. published by grey wolf press [applause] if you are a publishing house interested in not making a profit see us after the show.

then there is young people's literature the finest in the world the category but davis though world best and then the sentence is for meet national book awards? hosting? that is it could also. [laughter] but the suspenseful awards are given out later to keep maryland as nervous as possible. we have though literary award that is half -- that is tough to say it goes to the organization first book. [cheers and applause]

>> it is almost impossible to imagine another recipient the reason your sexual disappeared into her bedroom did not emerge until she was eight dash two is devouring the magic tree house books days will come very osborn. [applause] >> i first met trial almost 10 years ago when she received an order from the authors guild foundation and we have become good friends and i have learned a lot more. she started her professional career as an attorney in washington d.c. but her volunteer work at a washington soup kitchen that

changed her life. here she discovered the harsh reality that books are scarce for children growing up with a low income family. at home, school, even in community programs. for many of us the solution would have been simple pushes a handful of books brings them and mission in complete unfortunately she is the big picture person. she started to ask questions and learned the problem did not only existed or a handful of children but the lack of books for children growing up and though income families is said deep and pervasive problem that affects those all round the world. children without access to

books in the early years come to school far behind them or influenced peers and some never catch up. teachers are spending their own money to purchase books and school supplies to provide resources so desperately needed. in 1982 with two friends founded a organization called first book to harness the private sector to use market principles for the social issue. it has launched an astonishing number of first educators and neighborhood programs regardless of the zip code first book created the first systematic approach to tackle this issue and helped -- met with

educators to understand the barriers keeping out of the hands of children in need and first book created the first book national book bank the distribution system to donate excess inventory to children in need. the first book has developed first book marketplace that first on-site serving children in need could have the educational resources an unprecedented prices open only to schools that have 70 percent of children in need. first book launched the stories for all project initiative why project to attack the lack of diversity in children's books it was to bring culturally diverse books into the marketplace.

now already operating in u.s. and canada will distribute books globally to the first global marketplace it is already shipping books anywhere in though world. since a 1982 building the first book from an idea to the innovative social enterprise and has delivered more than 120 million books and educational resources to our children who never would have known the books -- the power of books and their life on behalf of the national book foundation in recognition of outstanding leadership and achievements overcoming childhood old literacy in promoting educational equality it is by a distinct pleasure to present you with the 2014 literary an award for outstanding service to the american the very community.

[cheers and applause] >> they chi-rho. and a special aphakia to the national book foundation board members for this unbelievable honor. it takes my breath away from the moment i got this extraordinary phone call it takes my breath away. this award is handed to meet everyone knows first book israeli team sport. there are extraordinary people throughout the years who have done unbelievable things and you just met one

and there are many other heroes many are here this evening. ottman behalf of myself and the wonderful people, thank you so very much. one of the most wonderful parts is to be surrounded by people who are devoted to great books. at first book we believe books are the most powerful force in the universe and history supports us. this power is why it was illegal to teach plays and why are repressive regimes have burned books and today it is why girls are tortured and shot when they attempt to attend school.

the power of book is why science and democracy flourished when the gutenberg invented the printing press and americans took the extraordinary leap forward to establish our system of public libraries. can i hear it for the public libraries? [cheers and applause] [laughter] should i start over? client kidding. [laughter] they have played a role in my life my mother used to tease me how seriously i would internalize books when i was just a kid. i would come into the kitchen with my head down and i would say something like i just don't think i

have it in me. i don't think i could have taken on those gigantic spiders like he did. that is pretty heavy. but in truth great books called peace for all of us what it takes but we grow up and we get busy with a grant a notion of all that we read and are challenged they take second seat to the challenges of our daily lives. we fight in board meetings instead of gigantic spiders. sometimes just getting a hour kids to school on time and feels like the battle of

waterloo. but we are confronting a rhone dramatic battle right now. in this country that we're so proud of, 45 percent of our children are now raised in homes better terms for or in europe for. 45%. . .

>> we know that the books can bring why it's into those classrooms and afterschool programs. we know that they can change a life of kids today and they can change their life trajectory for that child forever. so, i'm here now to put this in hobbit terms for you because i

know that's important for all of us. here we go. the giant spiders are heading our way and we are all standing there together and we are holding that the sword in our right hand and the whole story is waiting and hanging there to see if we step up are we going to step up so i'm calling on you tonight. i want you to dig down and find that. i want you to find your captain. i know that their are some of there are some of you out there. i know there are some other teams out there and i bet there are a couple in the crowd. i want you to join us because there are some great chapters to write together. thank you so much for tonight. [applause]

♪ >> i was very excited to hear that they were getting an award this evening. i actually have started my own small effort called last book which offers free delivery of the last book you ever read before you are going to die. [laughter] >> this year it's the correction by jonathan. i have no idea what the joke means. i don't understand. [laughter] next is the metal for the contribution to the letters which will be awarded to ursula. [applause] and a friend of mine by the jews

worldwide. he is won numerous awards including the book award of the uk since the revolutionary war -- he's the author of many fine works including the graveyard book the ocean at the end of the world and of course the groundbreaking. let's hope that he isn't going to use his phony accent. please welcome neil. ♪ [applause] >> i'm afraid that's tonight is another of these. so, until tonight i had only ever spoken once and ursula had

only spoken to me once. it was about 21 years ago at a fantasy convention in the midwest. i got into an elevator and then ursula got into an elevator and she looked at me and she said are there any room parties tonight but you know of? [laughter] and i said i don't really know. and she said zero well. and that was our conversation. which is very odd because ursula had been talking to me for at least the previous 22 years.

i bought with my own money a copy of the book when i was 11 and i read it and i discovered from this book but obviously going to wizard school was the best thing that anybody could ever do. other people may well have tried that and got their own ideas from it. but ursula did it first. and i bought the rest of those books as they appeared and now i was completely hooked. i have a new favorite author which meant that by the time i was 12, i was reading books like the left hand of darkness, a glorious science-fiction novel set in the world in which people change gender and when your

english and going on 13 the idea that the gender could be fluid, that it's not what you thought it was come it opens up your head and it changes things. i read everything i could. other writers i would copy their style is. i would look at how they did it and try to copy it. but i couldn't figure out how she did it because her style was so clean, her words were so precise and so chosen. so, i cheated and i found essays by her because she had actually written essays on the craft of

writing for those of us that were interested and i was 21, 22 and i knew i wanted to be a writer more than anything in the world and i was interested. i learned when to use the language of one and when to use the language of another and i learned more than that. i could just learn a language. i learned about the way that we use language. to use the phrase she raised my consciousness. she would write about women's issues, about me as a young writer starting out.

and ask myself whenever a new character needed to come on and if there was no reason that they were, life got easy. she made me a better writer and i think much more importantly, she made me a much better person who wrote for fiction, nonfiction. not just as a writer of science fiction but a writer of mainstream fiction and adults and children and a writer with huge ideas who could deal with people. and she is all of these. i take enormous pleasure are a warning of working for 2014 medal for distinguished contribution for american writers to ursula.

[applause] ♪ ♪ ♪

>> how is that is that okay? i seem to be a little shorter than most of these people. thank you. and to the givers of this beautiful reward, my thanks from the heart. my family, my agent, editors know that my being here is they're doing as well as mine and that it is theirs as much as it is mine. i rejoice accepting it and sharing it with all of the writers who were excluded from literature for so long, my fellow authors of fantasy and science fiction, writers of the

imagination food who for the last 50 years have watched the words go to the so-called realists. [laughter] i think our times are coming when we will be wanting the voices of writers that can see alternatives to how we live now and can see through our fear stricken society and its excessive technologies to be other ways of being. and even imagine the real grounds for hope. we will need writers that can remember freedom. it's the realists of the larger

reality. right now i think we need writers that no difference between the production of the market, but he and practice of the art. [applause] developing written material to suit the sales strategies in order to maximize corporate profits and advertising revenue is not quite the same thing as responsible for publishing or authorship. thank you. [applause] after cup yet i see the sales department given control over editorial. i see my own publishers in a silly panic of ignorance and

greed charging public libraries for an e-book six or seven times more than they charge customers. [applause] we just saw a profiteer tried to punish a publisher for disobedience and writers threatened. and i see a lot of us, the producers that write the books and make the books accepting this leading the commodity profiteers sell us like a us what you are going to tell us what to publish and what to write. [laughter] they are not just commodities. it's often in conflict with the

aim of art. we live in capitalism. its power seems inescapable. so did the divine right of kings [applause] any human power can be racist and changed the human being. resistance and change often begin in art and very often in the art of words. i've had a long career and a good one and in good company. now here at the end, i really don't want to watch american literature get thrown down the

river. [applause] we who live by writing and publishing wand and should demand our fair share of any of our beautiful reward is not profit. its name is freedom. thank you. [applause] ♪ she did not rise out of the earth like a utopian phoenix she just walks up to the podium like

it was nothing. unbelievable. [laughter] i decided a couple of weeks ago that i would go to my bookshelf and read a little to come up with something to say. then the whole day it slipped away from me for the 20th time that's all i have to say. [applause] now dinner is all i have to say. enjoy your meal and we will see you afterwards. [laughter] >> we are getting into that part of the evening where we are approaching something that a lot of us are excited about when we learn about the winners who among the finalists are going to be selected as winners this year. there's a lot of discussion and debate about it. i found that there is a company there's a company that's built a

complex algorithm. they are analyzing tweets and say they can predict the winner of the national book awards. i don't know how successful they are going to be but i thought that it would be good to remind people how the winners are selected. so, every year we fly the judges into new york. these judges have been working on this from an. they come to new york and they were asked to go to lunch, so we make reservations at made reservations at a different restaurant, one for each category, and they have lunch and we tell them -- and this happened earlier today, we tell them you can't get up from lunch unless you have decided on a winner. this is the way that we have done it now for 65 years. it's the way we did it today. i did hear him say once a couple of years ago we were concerned

and i love this, during the drinks, just before the dinner some of us over the nonfiction judges they were still arguing about who the winner was going to be. they did figure it out and we did pick a winner. i heard everything went fine. before we announce the winners, a couple things. one guess is he an evening that is special because we have extraordinary writers. i want to recognize the writers in the room and i would like to read a few of the names and ask you to hold your applause until i'm done because it is an extraordinary list. we have 13 pulitzer prize winners in the room tonight. they are michael cunningham,

tony horwitz, adam johnson, tom reese, marilyn robinson, art spiegelman, alan taylor, jonathan winer, edwin wilson, winners of the national book circles, newbery winners rebecca, jacqueline. and finally six winners of the national book awards, and judy, ursula, ronald steel, please join me in recognizing these great writers. [applause]

now i have to think if you people. first i have to thank amazon because that is one of the terms of my vendor agreement with them. seriously i do have to thank all of the financial supporters including amazon, barnes and noble, penguin random house, when dan meyer book publishing papers and the division of the central guardsmen, mcmillan, the theodore foundation, harpercollins, let's ensure, deborah whiteley into the charitable trust. please give them a hand. [applause] they made it possible for us to do this today. also a special thank you to the miami book fair really tremendous what they are doing

for us. they offered to fly all of the book or finalists to miami after the event to participate and be featured at the miami book fair this weekend. something cute to the great folks at the miami book fair. [applause] now i have have to thank think the wonderful after party committee. a few years ago when morgan said we should have an after party for the national book award some people thought he was crazy and the first year it was so popular i had to stand up here and say the rumor is true we have an after party but i can't tell you where it is because it is oversubscribed. if you want to go you have to see if you can get them to give you a ticket but we have made a

lot of progress. we sorted out the logistics and the after party is here. it's upstairs, there is room for everybody and i want to thank the amazing after party committee, it is tennis, rachel, paul and jen martin. thank you to that committee and for sponsoring the after party. let's give them a hand please. [applause] i have to thank our incredible dinner committee with a done area they transformed this event in the last few years. deborah who is responsible for that beautiful art in and the program arranging that with

julie, thank you to the denver community. also to the national book foundation's amazing staff they worked so hard, my fellow board members at the national book foundation who also have worked hard on this and of course our executive director thank you harold. and now what we have been waiting for on behalf of the foundation, good luck to all of the finalists we are on to the award ceremony. thank you. ♪ thank you. that was by a strange coincidence i was also reading about the algorithm predicting

the winners of the word according to what is going on the internet and accordingly the category is pornography. [laughter] no, no. now it is time for the presentation of the national book awards and i would like to take a moment before hand to say to each of the four finalists in each of the categories who doesn't end up winning this evening, everybody knows it should have been you. everybody thinks that. [laughter] alright. i was told about the that the awards would be presented in alphabetical order but i'm actually going rogue this evening and mounting them in order of importance which happens to be the same order to be at first is the young people's literature. [applause] to present the national book award and the people's literature is the author of more than 30 award-winning books for adolescents, yes. encoding copper sun but when the

corrupt king award a prize i hope someday to receive myself. but officials with publishing joke. [laughter] >> we will explain it to you later. she served as the national teacher of the year and has been honored in the white house to six times, so between the two of us we have been honored at the week. the white house six times. please welcome sharon draper. ♪ >> i love the feel of a book in my hand. [applause] and i got the pleasure of reading 294 of them over the summer. it was a glorious summer. we had such a wonderful time.

we shared, we talked, we argued, we agreed. the members of the young adult committee, dave. [applause] is smith. during this process i learned so much about writing and about reading. i learned that these people are good. i coupled with stacks of books over the summer. it was one of the most glorious

and profitable experiences that i have ever had. and our committee, we liked each other and we emerged and we had a wonderful one should. when we made our decision was unanimous. [applause] the finalists for young people's literature in the order they gave them to me on this piece of paper is elliot schaeffer. [applause] for threatened published by scholastic press. [applause]

steve shinekin published by roaring brook press. john cory whaley for noggin. i've also deborah wigle -- wiles for the 60s trilogy book number two published by scholastic press. [applause] jacqueline woodson. [applause]

for brown girl dreaming published by nancy paulsen looks at penguin random house. this year's national book award for this year's people's literature goes to -- i love this. jacqueline woodson for "brown girl dreaming." [applause] ♪ ♪

♪ [cheering] i was complaining yesterday about how heavy the metal is, but the award is really heavy. i am so grateful to be here. some of you might know this is my third time being a finalist, and my first time being a winner

i want to thank the committee and the other finalists, i love you guys and i love how much there is in the world of young adult and towards literature and how much deep respect we have for each other and how much we know the world would be complete without all of our stories in it. i want to thank the fabulous blended family also known as penguin random house. yes i did pay the audience who helped me write this book and get through that writing until

the story and what i really want to say is that it's so important that we talk to our old people and get their ancestors before they -- and my mother for being part of the great migration and my brother and sister who are here in new york city and i am really, really grateful to the fabulous editor nancy paulsen and my amazing partner who is also an amazing physician. i know you don't like when i see that you are a doctor. and our children and friends and to you thank you for your love of books and for changing the world.

[applause] >> i told her that she was going to win. and i said if she one i would tell all of you something i learned about over the summer which is that she is allergic to watermelon. i said you have to put that in a book and she said you put it in a book and i said i'm only writing a book about a black girl allergic to watermelon and if i get a blurb from you, cornell west by toni morrison or barack obama saying he's okay. he's fine. all right. okay. we will talk about that later. moving right along to poetry. there is some of you don't hear everyday. [laughter] to present a national book award for poetry in addition to being a marvelous poet he has written a reader's guide to the changing

light which i just ordered because i need it. i tried three times and i can't get through it. he has edited and written jim thompson which probably means he got to be the president of the poetry foundation with the hope of organized crime. please refrain from talking during the movie as we welcome robert. ♪ thank you all and that the outset let me also thank leslie at the national book foundation for all of their professionalism and focus. as t.s. eliot wrote.

snow competition there's only the fight to recover what has been lost and found and lost again and again. although our five distinguished finalists might not at this precise historical moment tonight and joy that which was implicit for the poetry judging panel if we move to the surprising consensus from the original cache of more than 200 titles through the long list of superlative books and ultimately to these finalists it is crucial that again and again we hold onto a truth that might have been too readily lost and operations mainly that this was a superb year for poetry. our discussions matter.

[applause] our discussions were if we do say so ourselves are consistently smart, funny, always deeply serious, can you and emerged from the spectrum of american life is aesthetic, social, political, cultural and biographical. we were rereading and arguing. it gives me great pleasure to note and thank my fellow panelists for their dedicated expertise. tb peterson, mr. phillips.

we had the skills collection's we reluctantly left behind at every stage including tonight. as we arrived in the finalists we saw all of these five books sought and dared to the formal structures for shaping the materials that none of our books sounded in any way like any of our other books across the the security they focus the shared life. as they look back at the great traditions in american poetry ultimately moved along in advance that great writing always well those traditions to the surprising poetry future.

the five finalists for the national book award in poetry are published by first routes. maureen mclane published by gerard strauss, fred or the letter machine edition. claudia for citizens published. as she said during her acceptance speech during the national book award i'm much aware of the luster shared by

this award upon those who follow. this goes to louise glick. ♪ ♪

>> i'm astonished. it takes me by surprise. my thanks to the judges for their mercy. and especially to john and miranda who kept me sane. mainly though i want to say that this is a very difficult evening. it's very difficult to lose. i've lost many times and it's also it turns out very difficult to win. it is not in my script. [laughter] i want to say that my work would not exist without the work of the other finalists. and my colleagues in poetry who

have more times than i can say astonished me and moved me and filled me with the envy that in time becomes gratitude. thank you for your great achievement all of you. ♪ >> that makes me happy. i myself think of the column whenever i try to get organized on a moonless night. it sits in a state of clarity above all things.

but especially one like this now so close to ending. on the other side there could be anything. all the joy in the world, the star is fading and the streetlights becoming a bus stop. i am very happy. okay. you don't have to be happy for me, but i am. when i was offered this some people said to me you are only hosting the national book award to promote your new novel vr pirates that will be published in february. i said how in the world would i manage to do that while introducing alan taylor who will be presenting the national book award for nonfiction. [applause] mr. taylor won the pulitzer prize that we call the national book award for william cooper's town. his recent book also won the pulitzer prize in virginia. that was one of last year's national finalists presumably

when they had him on the committee please welcome mr. alan taylor. [applause] thank you very much. when i was invited to come he neglected to mention that there would be over 500 submissions in the nonfiction category. i was charmed to hear in young people's literature that there were 294. i am i to read as much as the next person. [laughter] but once i blew past 2450 bucks,

herald also didn't mention what an extraordinary category it is in its range and memoirs, history's, sociology, philosophy, science and work of graphic art. i wasn't fully aware of just how excellent each of these works could be induced different categories. so, it wasn't always easy to sort out how we would get down to one book. but i had the help of an extraordinary committee with a very wide range of talent and we all worked very hard so i want to thank robert. [applause]

tom reese, rose simmons. [applause] and harold for his help with the committee and mr. young who served as the coordinator. you did a wonderful job. [applause] the five finalists for nonfiction in the national book award this year, first mr. chast can't we talk about something more pleasant? [applause] second, no good men among the

living. america television published by henry holt and company. and i should say that book was published by bloomsbury. third john for tennessee williams banned pilgrimage of the flesh. [applause] published by ww norton & co.. fourth,@mr. austin osnos face and the new china published by strauss. and edward wilson for the meaning of human existence.

[applause] published by the division of ww norton & co.. this year's national book award for nonfiction goes to evan osnos for age of ambition. ♪ ♪

i have to tell you i am a man of hunches and i didn't have a hunch before we left the hotel by wife said maybe you should just have a hunch for a second. i think some people here may know that i am from a family of the book. my parents are here, peter and susan. [applause] my father is the founder of public affairs and if you go into the writing business and your name is osnos you feel like what george w. bush must feel like. and i have to tell you it is such a fabulous sensation to be up here tonight. and i can't think the judges enough. i'm astonished and i'm humbled by the honorees in the category and i have to say especially to

mr. chass whose work is beautiful and wonderful. [applause] they signed onto this room before it was a fully cooked idea to jonathan and for everything that you've done for the book into my agent we started talking about the book when we were 19-years-old and sophomores in college and i think that we are off to a good start. at the new yorker which has been my professional home for the last six years i am enormously grateful to david and dorothy and john bennett all of whom have heard every syllable of details either spoken or written

in some form or another and they gave me permission to try to write something meaningful. and to my wife who i met in china she stayed there for seven. i can finally say thank you for being in china for so long and for insisting every word of the book be read aloud. then finally to the people in the pages of the book that allowed me into their lives in a way that is amazing they live in a place that it's very dangerous to be honest and vulnerable and they allowed me to write about them and i tried to do them justice and i'm just enormously grateful for having had the opportunity. thank you.

i didn't think that i would hear an author compare compared the results to george w. bush on the podium i must say. [laughter] it is a strange coincidence because i think we are all looking forward to the president's book on china. speaking of which, fiction. the national book award will be presented by a former correspondent covering the crisis in the balkans and the middle east although who hasn't done that. she's the author of six books including the take on when and with whom the pulitzer prize you will remember that one. please welcome one of the sharpest of my imaginary girlfriends sheldon brooks.

♪ as daniel was kind enough, that was the fun bunch. we bring you catastrophic child abuse and to die your homeless poverty. it reminds me of the great writer midway through his career opened a couple to find the review of his latest book. so what we bring you here in the five outstanding finalists these are books about the exhilaration of being a human being, about

the amazing power of art to elevate our spirits, about the redeeming power of faith and the overwhelming healing power of love. and even in the book you will laugh. so go figure. i'm not going to complain about how many books we had to read. i'm just going to say that one of my fellow judges, the remarkable bookseller had to go to her local skate board shop and get elbow pads because she was wearing out the skin reading her books. i had to get a handyman to come in and see if i needed to underpin to see if i could sustain the number. but it's a great privilege to

read so many books to see the richness of the writing that is happening. we were particularly struck by the quality of the short story collections as well as the absolute majesty of many of the novels that we grant. the others apart from my fellow novelists and the remarkable literary critic and scholar. [applause] the finalists for the national book award. [applause] published by grove atlantic. and then he did for all the light we cannot see.

[applause] the redeployment published by penguin press. [applause] station 11 published by kopf. marilyn robinson published by strauss and the winner of the national book award for fiction. ♪ to

♪ ♪ >> thank you. i know there's at least one marine in the audience. anymore? just two of us okay we can take them. [laughter] i didn't write anything this morning until my wife said did you write anything and i said no. she said you have to write something.

i spent 13 months in iraq working with an exceptional group of marines and correspondents to correspondence to travel to in our province in the midst of the seemingly decisive and very violent struggle with al qaeda in iraq, the group that is now known as isis. i met truck drivers, iraq he police officers and so many civilians whose families have been caught in the crossfire's. and i came back not knowing what to think. about so many things. what do you do when you are struggling to find the words of a fallen marine, exactly what that marine meant to you? what do you do when one of your

best friends tells you he's been drinking too much and he's been isolated at college surrounded by 18-year-olds who can't make sense of him and what do you make of it when the middle school students teaching ask you if you've killed anyone and are horribly disappointed when using a, when the strangers incest on treating you as though you must be psychologically damaged or are friends of yours that i do have post traumatic stress find that they cannot express their feelings about what has happened and continues to happen overseas and at home. i don't actually have the answers to those questions, but the book was the only way that i knew how to really start thinking them through not just try and determine fictional stories into some kind of emotional truth, but when you

write it open it is the possibility of people responding it's the letters to friends and identify those that might read the work even if across centuries they enjoyed the conversation. and for me, writing this book i can't think of a more important conversation to be having. it's too strange to be processed alone. and so i want to thank everyone that picked up the book and read it and decided to join the conversation. i want to thank the judges national book foundation, peter who has been an