and that's a wrap on this year miami book fair all of our programming from today will reair a beginning at about 9 p.m. eastern time tonight. or you can watch the individual authors talk at booktv.org. >> this year booktv marks our 20th year of bring you the country's top nonfiction authors and their latest books. find us every weekend on c-span2, or online at booktv.org.

ladies and gentlemen welcome to the 69th national book awards an welcome to our host nick. [applause] good evening. it is a great honor to welcome all of you to the 69th national book awards. a picture is worth a thousand words. is a cliche with which we're all familiar, so when i was asked to prepare some remarks for this occasion, i thought that instead of subjecting you all to several

minutes of my usual -- i would prepare something exciting and visual. that is why my wife megyn and i created a moving slide montage of assorted tantric grapples for your viewing. [laughter] but when had i arrived tonight, i was told that we did not have the proper audio-visual apparatus on which to show. the young lady said to me that it was an equipment issue because all i had was a floppy disk. may not be up to date on all of the latest gutter lingo, but you was quite taken aback. she then went on to suggest that

she would need me to give it to her on a hard drive or in a finch i could just stick in a thumb drive. happily married man, you can imagine i turned tail and walked briskly away from the treacherous talk and jaunted down words instead. and many suggested to me that i pounced on the opportunity to merry are aforementioned number 69 for shame. lisa -- [laughter] lucas -- i should hope that i and you esteemed lek are here to

celebrate not sins of the flesh but rather those loftier accomplishments fabricated from reason. yay from our very conscienceness, instead of engaging in it is myiest wish to bock folk we lit. can employ the labor of our mouths and service of mutually pleasuring one another this evening without resorting to base and insinuations. i'm sincerely grateful to be here this evening because books have such an important life in my life. i remember in fifth grade after reading about mitocron drps dria in a wring until time asking my teacher if that was a real thing. she said it was she thought but

that it was very specialized information that i would never need to worry about. i heard it is not part of the body of knowledge to we many this have agreed to limit our concern. which meant that if i kept reading the right books, then i would come to know special things. extra, secret details that the others would never possess. so i redoubled my reading. and that led me to know particular things that only i can know. and those special things changed and shaped my life. they still do. and this is true for all of us. this is a superpower available to anyone with access to a library that allow the human race to trudge ever forward in our jowrn towards enlightenment

and goodness. and orgasms and fine wood working. in an age when our first amendment rights and truth itself are very much in peril, books remain the ultimate repository of creative ideas and irreplaceable knowledge. [applause] here, here -- in our -- in our you threw me. i didn't expect applause. [laughter] and orgasms hang on, i lost my spot, in our pursuit of freedom and human rights. book serve us as weapons and also as shields.

they are perhaps the greatest creation of human kind one that is living ever growing and always learning. what can i say they make me horny i'm a fan so tonight we are here to crown the years greatest achievement and five categories. ten of our 25 finalists were published by independent presses. [applause] we're add ation -- adding a new that of translated literature. [applause] suck on that, muslim man.

wefive previous national book award authors as finalists. [applause] and we also have five debuted titles here tonight. [laughter] which i would say mean you're off to a pretty good start. so without further adieu we honor the foundations lifetime achievement honorees. there's more -- the first of the lifetime achievement award is literary word for the literary community given to a group or person who is proven remarkable dedication to expanding the audience for books and read aring. last year, the foundation

honored scholastics dick robinson, and other past winners include dr. maya angelou -- dave and sesame street's joan gans cooney. tonight's honoree is unparalleled in his service to the literary community. here to present the literary i can award is a writer, researcher, and entrepreneur margo lee setterly author of hidden figures the the american dream and untold story of black women math mathematicians who helped win the space race. a 2014 alfred peace loan foundation fellow and virginia foundation for the humanities grant she's founder of the human computer project. and endeavor that is recovering

names and accomplishments of all of the women who worked as computers mathematicians, smises and engineers at the naca and nasa from the 1930s through the 1980s. gives me great pleasure to welcome ms. shetterly. i couldn't be more honored to present the qeard to join weber vice president and program director at the al a fred foundation. [applause] so i met joan four years ago

when sloan made decision to support the research and writing of my book hidden figures. now the question i myself back then, and this is what i want each of you is asking right now, tonight -- who the heck is this guy who is steering enough to deal out bucks to unknown first time author writing about mathematicians black women mathematicians from 1940s that no one has ever heard of. well, allow me to tell you a little bit more about our mr. weber. weber a man a road scholar who counts oxford and brown university as alma mater brown people over there i see. [laughter] someone with his educational ped gee is long terms executive as within you have our most recognized nonprofits. is no surprise -- but a man the world. how many individuals in his

position have also worked as teacher a tutor, a taxi driver, a busboy, and a boxer? he's a mine of science who spent time at the rockefeller institute theest biomedical institute in the united states he's a man of art and letter, a published writer books include a nonfiction science book about keeping our blood supply safe and the 2012 memoir immortal bird which made the post notable work of nonfiction list. so no stranger to beautiful suffering that is steadfast companion of everyone who ire das to turn the voice in their head into words on a page. weber knows that facts alone are not enough to kindle human imagination that facts alone are not enough to create empathy or to provoke action. but when facts, scientific facts

technological facts, economic facts, historical facts are wedded to story we are given powers to understand the world as it was to explore the world as it is and to imagine world as it might be. weber has spent his entire career officiating at that marriage. tonight we celebrate man who is enduring commitment and play rights the broadcast rs and podcasters, the director and producers most of all, the author of a film television show, high cast and play, his publication of more than 100 books. includings one by an unknown first time who decided to write about black women mathematician when is i asked him which of his many achievements made him most proud he said helping writers it is all about the writers.

for your work we salute you and congratulate you most of all we thank you. [applause] thank you so much for those kind words i'm deeply honored by this award thank you david or lisa lucas everyone at the book foundation your mission to honor books celebrate the best writing, and expand readership has never been more critical from my work at the foundation i wish to salute three distinguished colleagues here please wave, about and chair of the board adam president of the foundation, and lisa lynn senior vice president. when i came to sloan 23 years

ago, we did not support the art. so without their steadfast commitment to put their money where my mouth was, i wouldn't be here and i couldn't have helped so many talented artists including 200 book authors 600 screen writers and filmmakers 00 play right and 150 television and radio writers. i'm especially proud -- of sloan support for many works about women and underrepresented minorities. 30 years ago -- [applause] thank you. even before sloan i joined the writers room the nation's first and largest shared writer space where i wrote my first two book where i'm now board president you know shoe string nonprofit no one wants the job so shoutout to donna brod did i executive director, the room is in affordable sanctuary for any writer open 24/7 and we need more such. since i still write bock i want to recognize my agent kathy robbins perfected art of rejection with encouraging smile.

my literary lawyer, michael and my editor jonathon i'm lucky to have this a team. i'm here tonight primarily for rt spueing exceptional writers like margo. i wish i could reach each author as name but it is a long list and they're all my children. so please see our website -- i've also supported open access digital library and free knowledge. i don't have to reminding you that especially today we need to safeguard freedom for every stripe and all nonpartisan form of knowledge civilization and culture are not guaranteed. they are relatively recent construct and we must defend our lose them. 400 years ago, and i blink we had a scientific revolution from which we're still reeling and snow first warned about us about dangerous loss of a common culture resulting from this split between experts scientists and the rest of us humanist and 1959 essay two culture and scientific revolution. much of my sloan work and public

understanding of science, technology my support for books along with radio, tv, film theater and new media, the translate science for the late public, focuses on bridging these two cultures finding common language and comprehensive vision so they can better understand and relate to one another. these stark triumph of modern science technology is an extraordinary human achievement that have improved the lives of billions of people on earth and vastly increase our storehouse of knowledge and cape >>s as a species to reshape our planet. it is even allowed us to venture yongd our planet and send human to the moon, a robot to mars and probe into interstellar space and even beyond space, it is enabled us to pure into vastness to detect birth pang of the universe 13.8 million years ago. science might be most important source of the knowledge and application ever developed on earth we cannot make progress without science nor can we begin to understand modern life or

modern world or any world or even ourselves without a grasp , however, science alone is not enough. first, we need wise policies tone sure this power does more good than harm second that benefit and improves human condition as well as human conditions, further despite all its impressive advances science still cannot help the average person lose weight avoid a cold, prevent wrinkles get smarter cure cancer protect an injury rism or stroke and banish addiction and mental health problems or live past 100. science cannot yet explain conscienceness or exactly how memory works. it cannot explain artistic creativity or spiritually and inform where in the universe it exist and why universe exist in the first place and science cannot tell you how to bring up happy well adjusted children to become a better person yourself or what it means to lead a good

life. so usually important and science is not sufficient for a development and fulfillment as individuals or as a society. innermost feels and thoughts dream, memories terrorist, passion and aspirations, require more than science and purely scientific understanding of the world. history philosophy, literature, art, music, languages, ethics and religion -- all play their part in explaining who we are, how we got here and where we are going. that is why we continue to invite scientist and humantists to engage with one another and support authors other artists willing to tackle science technology subjects. and bottom, science and the arts are two sides of the same human impulse to understand and meaningfully describe world around us and inside us. and please keep sending us your book proposal i'll continue it read each one and support qualify writers as generous

colleagues permit. my secret is i dreams of hundreds of writers because i share those dreams. my thanks again to national book foundation for helping me fulfill dreams but i'm working and a new so i dream to come to another award of a award and i'll work to help you fulfill your dreams while we strive together to repair the world. thank you. [applause]

we just word to congratulations to dorin netflix picked up his speech for a ten-part series so -- [applause] accolades continue. the second time the second lifetime achievement award that we have tonight is the medal for distinguished contribution to american letters. previous winners of this award include johnup dike tony morrison, steven king, joan, and maxine honk kingston and tom

wolfe no big deal. this honor is given to a writer who has over the course of their career greatly enriched our literary heritage through their body of work. tonight's hon row and her books have had an exceptional impact and here to present the medal is lewis alberto raya a finalist himself for the pulitzer prize for his landmark work of nonfiction the devil's highway. lewis is also the best selling author of the novel's house of the broken spirits, the hummingbirds daughter, into the beautiful north, and queen of america. as well as the story collection, the water museum of pen award finalist. he's won lanen literary award and edgar award, a 2017 american academy of arts and letters

award in literature among many other honors. born in tijuana to a mexican father, and american mother, he lives outside of chicago and teaches at the university of illinois, chicago. it gives many great pleasure to welcome lewis alberto raya. [inaudible conversations] him here to honor -- [inaudible conversations] [laughter] her ability to speak to millions of readers of many cultures around the world in utter clarity is not simply a

stylistic trick. it is not a strategy. it is an act of political heroism. in times -- she speaks of human hope, survival, connection, wonder, tragedy, and joy. against all odds -- if dictators like -- [inaudible conversations] could not silence these kind of voices, could not stop the words, then what isabel does is a calling to us to be bolder. ...

the house of broken angels -- [laughter] or the house of the spirit of. [laughter] i just wanted to get in on the record. the women of my family gathered at the table to argue about the characters and the event i evene

novel. to them, it wasn't about chile. the book migration was fast. it went on around the world to convince the readers and friends that it was about them, to convince those in japan that it was about them. in omaha, nebraska. she is a best-selling author, writing in spanish in the world today. she's been translated to 35 languages and sold nearly 30 million copies of her works. [applause] you can find a list in the program this evening. but i believe there are things that matter more than just

towards. you should know that she is the first spanish language author to ever receive this honor. [applause] and she is only the second half born in the united states. [applause] the prize honors american letters -- you still there? quite an air date code aware that america x. extends to the arctic circle. [applause] she has shown us not just a universe of story that has shown ways to approach stories and

readers new ways to read stories. she has offered all of us a fresh paradigm of hope and conviction. you set a high bar for us. for those who wondered if anyone would ever read their work, for those of us who might have grown up dreaming in spanish. for my sisters, and you showed the way. you made it possible, you made us believe. [applause] ♪

[applause] thank you so much. [applause] is there anything so i can stand on something. [laughter] thank you so much for this

unexpected honor that i am humbly on behalf of millions of people with myself who come to this country in search of a new life. i've always been a forerunner. i was raised in chile in my grandfather's house. i followed my stepfather in his channels and i was a political refugee for 13 years in venezuela after 1973 that ended a long tradition of democracy in chile and i've been an immigrant in the united states for more than 30 years. being chronically approved it has some advantages. most of my writing comes from nostalgia, law and separation.

it was ridiculous in english. [laughter] [applause] my mother doesn't speak a word of spanish. [inaudible] [laughter] a brave man. as a stranger i don't take anything for granted. i listen carefully. i ask questions and question everything. i don't need to invent much. i look around and take notes. i'm i am a collector of experies and i draw on other peoples

livepeople'slives especially thd passionate women that i need everywhere. i draw on the struggles of everyday and the joy of being alive and not afraid of death. i'm not afraid of life either. i refuse to live in fear. [applause] it was a dark time, my friend. a time of war in many places. a time of cruelty, it's time where the principles sustain civilization. it's a time of violence and poverty for many. people that are forced to leave everything that is familiar to them and i'm her take dangerous

journeys to save their lives. remember the little 3-year-old seer ian boy who was born in the ocean and washed onto a beach in turkey in 2015. his name was alan. he could have been your son or my grandson. that same day his father lost his wife and another child in a boat that took him across the sea as they engaged in the war in syria. it symbolized the plight of millions of desperate people. for an instant, the world was shaken by the image of the dead toddler on the beach. but the world quickly forgotten. i believe in the power of

stories. if we listen to another person's story, it would tell our own story and we would start to heal from the division and change it because we would realize the similarities that bring us together are many more than the differences that separate us. often, i don't know why i feel compelled to write a certain story and it is only later i find out it is connected to some part of my life or m for my sakt i needed to understand sometimes to heal. for the sense of continuity that he witnesses the links of our lives we need to remember or what to do without an acute sense of the past without an

obsession of memory. i don't know how much is fact for fact or how much i have invented. memory is subjective and conditioned by emotion and believe. our own is also subject that shows us what to highlight and ignore or forget. to describe our journey and in doing so we create our own legend. i have created for myself a bigger than life legend. [applause]

i was part of this massive diaspora and i'm critical of many things about the country i'm proud to be an american citizen. [applause] i've received much more than i ever dreamed of and i've been offered the opportunity to give something back. it means that maybe it is time to plan my roots and relax. maybe i have found a place that i can belong. maybe i'm not going anywhere anymore. [applause] [cheering]

i am disarmed. [laughter] congratulations and thank you for your moving word. good news we will all break for dinner, and for those of you watching the live stream, you are live streaming this? [laughter] you son of a bitch.

[laughter] if you are watching this, facebook live, stay tuned for the review of all 25 award finalists with ashley ford and, strobe coming up. we will be back to announce the winners of the 2018 national book award. enjoy the chicken. [applause]

as ever we are so thrilled to see your face i faces at this nl book award. why we are gathered here tonight the national book foundation is driven by its mission to celebrate the literature in america to expand its audience. at the center of the national book award fo for the evolutionf great writing and offers you the readers whose lives by the works

recognized that we celebrate tonight but it's also about imagining how far that can reach. it's about reimagining where they come from. it's about how they can connect us across the oceans and state lines and politics and across cultures. this year we are adding to the tradition for the first time in many years we are adding a new national category for the unanimous vote of the foundation's board of directors the new national book award for translated literature will be given -- [applause] will be given to the author and translator and connect us with international stories and places

from around the world. i made every one of the authors promised that they wouldn't go over on their speeches and so i will let the studio that we put together tell you about all the thing is we've been doing this here. here it is. the national book foundation is a place that the volume gets cranked up every year on literature, on books and writers. it's the oscars, grammys, national book awards. ♪ the national book award identifies great work. it is promoting the value of people thinking about the most considered and put forth thoughts of other people that we can engage into better

conversation. we want to offer an invitation into literature. i think one of the most important thing is that literature can do right now is help us understand just like what it means to be human. the book foundation exists to tell us about the literature in america, to expand its audience and to enjoy the books and culture. it means we have to be all over the place and go where the readers are. our programs are designed to go out into the world. giving people access for free there is all these ways the book

foundation is that we all have the right to be. our goal was to pick five books thaat the book foundation will e promoting and that effectively speak to mass incarceration. this year we also want to focus so we are going to get people reading that much value in the data they honor. there's a lot of energy and enthusiasm on the book award and we want the people and families to participate in ththat particm to feel a part of that. so that can be connecting them with national book award honored the books and connecting them with authors that are from their local communities. what i am of about working with

the kids is they are at the perfect age developing and understanding of what empathy is and how to understand beyond their own experience. education doesn't just stop. they bring to the communities in new york. it is as normal as brushing your teeth to change how you grow up and what your relationship is. it'something they can engage wih at home and books from their bookshelves. we went to different communities across the country and we've given away almost 700,000 books and have reached 19 different states.

this is a great experiment. we try to ge tried to get everye can to help us and make sure everyone else believes in them hopefully you can see all that we have accomplished. the idea that it can be for everyone and it can be everywhere is very simple but an enormous idea and one that is powered by so many people. throughout the years we are supported by the partners from individuals, government from her; but the supporters, 70 people that make this possible and i would like to thank them including the andrew mellon foundation, the art for justice

and new york city department of cultural affairs by the ford foundation, the new york city department of youth and community development and the national endowment for the arts. [applause] the national book award is not only an award show. it's the single largest source of income for the book foundation. we are enormously grateful for the continued support of the sponsors, barnes and noble, penguin random house, a division of central, amazon literary partnership joining us for the first time as a sponsored, harpercollins, google, facebook. thank you to the sponsors. [applause] and thank you to the book

foundation staff and our executive director. [applause] there are just nine of us at the book foundation in which seems like the dare and none of this would be possible without their phenomenal effort and talent comes up i would like to thank you jordan smith, whitney, gabriel for these awards tonight. [cheering] we could use some sleep right now and without them none of this would be possible. we are indebted to the donor community, the extraordinary board of directors who just show up over and over again in such a

meaningful way. the heroic national book award judges, the after party committee that will ensure that tomorrow's rough. our host, to facebook for getting this and for all of you here tonight for watching from home. hispanic now we get to be one of our favorite things. there's nothing more meaningful than contributing to a cause that you care about and encouraging other people to do the same. all of us have raised $900,000 for the national book foundati foundation. [applause] that is an amazing accomplishment. thank you. now we are going to ask you to make a cultivation we rely on

your support and encouragement. together we can reach communities by the end of the fiscal year which is a weird way to put it but it's true we will have only seven teams deflect go. together it can reach 1 million books distributed to children and families in public housing. we only have 3,000 books left to go. and so, keep these tucked away in your programs. you can find an envelope and it says the matter. and inside of the envelope you are invited to place your money to help support the work that we do. there will be somebody at the back of the room for these envelopes at the end of the knife should you care to do so. hispanic thank you for joining us tonight. thank you for your support.

congratulations one more time to all of our finalists. and now on to the award ceremony. [cheering] i don't know about you, but i'm grateful to be here. it's exciting to be here. many of us have any good fortune to have been to a lot of these events and i'm always astonished that the needles are so astonishing for the people. i would like to offer he a rounf applause to the caterers. [applause] and all of the well turned out folks serving us for meals.

[applause] this moment reminds me of a brief anecdote a few years ago i was in the writers guild award in los angeles at which mel brooks was receiving a lifetime achievement award and as you could imagine, it was after a dinner such as this speech was made, clips were shown and he ascended the stage to a standing ovation that went on. he stood there and was visibly moved and holding up his hand finally the crowd quieted and he stepped up to the microphone and said that make up for the chicken. [laughter] which i found enjoyable. [laughter]

dot enough of my terrific stories. let's get to the national book award ceremony and the reason we are here this evening. these are particularly exciting because until the moment that the title of the winner leads the judge's mouth, no one but the five person panel of judges lose these decisions, not the foundation board, not the staff. they did run these by me and i gave them my aggravation but that's neither here nor there. they made their final positions so everyone is hearing it here at the same time for the first time. the winners will be announced by the chair of that respective category presented and reversed

in alphabetical order it if the first card is a spade, everyone's the and it's another dime in the pot. those categories are young people's literature. [applause] [cheering] translated literature. poetry. [applause] [cheering] nonfiction and of course ficti fiction. the book far from the tree won last year's national book award

for young people's literature. for the publishers weekly these have been published in more than 20 countries. it gives me a great pleasure to introduce robin. ♪ hello it is so good to be back. i'm 1000% less nervous than i was this time last year. i am so privileged to be back here for the young people's literature category and on that note, i didn' didn't do it aloni would like to thank my judges

for not only reading hundreds of books this year that for doing so with critical eyes and a sensitive heart and incredible humor. it's been an honor to work alongside this year and i will miss or lengthy conversations so very much. we all remembered as i'm sure many of you in the audience do that singular pleasure of falling into a book as a child they still resonated with you long after he became an adult.

does the buck of languag languao accurately convey his overall and emotional art of the characters. will designate long after these books. it will withstand the trust of time while proving relevant and will they be able to see themselves in the book while also discovering the ways that were differences can unite us. will it increase the understanding of the world around them and how their actions can impact others. the word we keep coming back to is the idea of proportion. as the process of creating a curious lifelong reader.

we believe that finalists tonight haven't only method surpassed these areas and it was an absolute pleasure to read these titles this year and we couldn't be more proud to be here with them tonight. the assassination by m. t. anderson and eugene nelson. [cheering] [cheering]

the winner of the 2018 national book award for young people's literature is the poet x.. [applause] [cheering] ♪

♪ ♪

i want to give thanks to my agent who in 2012 with someone who had no manuscript reached out to her and kept in touch and what i was working on and believed in my voice enough to keep checking in. i want to give thanks to my editor who is the most incredible editor i could have imagined whose all the story and let me use the language that i needed to say and stood behind me on every decision that some folks might not understand but that's how it has to be told. and that's how it has to be told. thank you so much to my

publisher. i've been so lucky. thank you to the marketing and design. a special thanks i've been lucky to make friends at harper. i have so much love for you all. drink on the later. i want to give thanks to my family. i come from an amazing dominican household. i was raised in a home with storytellers. i'm only the first one to have to stage, but it probably should have happened a long time ago. so thank you to my family, to my third. i want to give thanks to my ancestors without whom i wouldn't be here in a special thanks to my husband who when i was in eighth grade english teacher was like alright, cool do your thing. i am so lucky to have him by my side.

[applause] and this is the last thing i've walked through the world with a chip on my shoulder and i've gone to so many places i feel like i have to prove i'm allowed to be in that space is a child of immigrant and as a latina and who holds certain neighborhoods and whose bodies hold certain stories i feel like i have to prove i am worthy enough and that is how i walk through the world but every time i meet a reader who looks at me and says i have never seen my story until i read yours i am reminded of why this matters and it's not going to be an accolade that's going to be looking someone in

the face to say i see you and being told in return for thank you to the readers who time and again remind me why it matters and why books matter. think. [applause] congratulations. i wouldn't begrudge you anything that i am intensely jealous of your hair. [laughter] i will tell you that right to your face. [laughter] next stop to present a brand-new national book award for translated literature we have

harold who is familiar to the awards and to the stage as the former executive director of the national book foundation. he is currently the acting editor of the yale review and was a visiting fellow at at yale university which is a colleg the in the northeast. [laughter] heaves translated among the works of those gonzalez and the poetry. his most recent translation from the 85 filipino novel by pedro under a fellowship from the

national endowment for the arts. please help me welcome to the stage harold. [laughter] thank you. that makes up for the chicken. [laughter] i wanted to begin with a little bit of translation. i would like to commend the

foundation for the connecticut to translate to the establishment and the reestablishment of this award. iand a special thanks to all the translators without much credit they are beginning to get credit now. [applause] i'd like to welcome the board members who are the champion wes of reestablishing this award and of course lisa lucas you are lucky to have her here. [applause] my special thanks to karen and susan and oliver and spend the summer talking about books that were smart and intelligent and dedicated, hard-working,

insightful, tough and flexible. we've had 140 books and i would like to counter the vicious rumor that we only consider one word titles. when you judge the translation award like this. the five finalists for the book award and translation are disoriented all translated.

love written and translated from the norwegian margin and published by a cappella notebooks. [applause] translated and published. the adversary translated from the japanese and published by new direction. flights and published by riverhead imprint of penguin random house and translated literature goes to the adversa

adversary. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ those among you have probably figured out that i am not yoko.

[applause] i have the distinct pleasure of conveying to you some words. i am sorry not to be able to travel to new york for the national book award ceremony. every autumn i do performances in tokyo and go to new york this year canceling three of the readings many people have bought tickets and i feel i can't let them down. this being the case i asked monique -- that's me -- [laughter] a writer that lived in new york and has an interest in the same

things i do to take my place at the award ceremony. i want to thank everyone at new direction who published my books in english. i think it is great but for thae translated literature categories for the national book award has been resurrected. translation gives a book wings to fly across national borders

and of course she saved her final thanks for margaret. thank you. [applause] she sent me the message and asked me to translate it. i do all kinds of translation. i won't go into that but i would also like to thank everybody at new direction and barbara did a great job editing which is so important. [applause] and of course i would like to thank you for writing the book because translators are nothing without authors. and i would like to thank the national book foundation for this award. thank you very much. [applause]

it's pronounced franky. [laughter] i love poetry. i have a column that i intended to recite but it was suggested it might be midwestern for this crowd. so i thought instead i were the sort of talk about how almost anything can be poetry, for example some people i know said it was a sort of poetry the way the red sox were at yankee stadium this fall which was a

new torque spooks team -- new york spoke steamed. it's depending on your point of view, for example if you live in manhattan it might seem like a william blake poem, but as you traveled northeast and get to new haven an it's more like a sylvia plath and harvard and it becomes a little brighter at the silverstein hall and then arriving in cambridge is mr. rogers and finally in boston it is a full on chumbawomba song. poetry is neat. here to present the book award for poetry is mary jo bang a fellow midwesterner like myself.

she is an award-winning poet whose accolades including national book critics circle award, a fellowship, guggenheim fellowship and a berlin prize fellowship. the author of eight books of poems including a doll for throwing, louise in love, the last to second. she teaches creative writing and washington university in st. louis and it gives me a pleasure to introduce mary jo. ♪ thank you so much for including me in this event and in the judging. we've been asked to talk about the process.

and i thought by way of doing that i would think not only thee judges, that introduced them because it made an amazing committee. [cheering] a graduate of yale law school, director of the writers workshop and the founder of cultural strike, a network of artists involved in issues of migration into social change. his own book won the 2009 competition. a former executive director of the poetry society of america and cofounder of poetry in motion that places the columns on buses thin thank you whereveu are. editor of poetry anthologies and the author of three the. of costco [cheering]

the author of two collections don't call us dead, winner of the guy prize and a fellow the winner of the discovery award. the work has been featured widely including on "the new york times," pbs news hour and every poet's dream delete a show with stephen colbert. the owner of the store in california he served as a juror from book awards and has published essays and interviews and the first book is forthcoming with bloomsbury press and an object lesson which is about the fact that the fog like many things in this world has inexistent threats by global

warming. in terms of our actual process, we decided to find books that we all admire and we achieved that by talking and talking and by listening with generosity and attentiveness. and in between e-mailing. to be on the final list requires that a because multiple supporters. a long list of ten and shortlist of five are books all of us value. in the end we wish we could give an award to all five offers the following books. the

[applause] [cheering] diane. [applause] indecency, coffee house press. [applause] the national book award for poetry goes to justin philip reed coffee house press. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ good evening. i don't think [inaudible] a very nostalgic experience to be here with you.

i want to start by saying i accept this award in memory of my grandfather and champion of south carolina, doctor of biological sciences, care provider for the sick. in my home i keep a book in which i hand write and in may of this year three weeks after the release of this book i wrote my bio beginning with the author of indecency a finalist for the national book award. once it has somehow manifested by begin reiterating in the books pages the intentions for the allowance of joy and celebration. i meditated on the project might takcourage itmight take to feelf this and now i am standing here with hands on my shoulders still not knowing what to make of this national book award winner

poetry. it's kind of my business to get hung up on words. i acknowledged the impossibility of a national book in the united states and therefore i appreciate the critical magnitude of the revision that requires for 1600 books down to 25 and to the judges had it been another title i would have no smaller gratitude for the poetry that would be red because you have read it. likewise i wondered what it would need to comply with those who love and encourage me to keep out and joyfully accept indecency as deserving of attention and got only about looks but in my mind and body once the space to be many and much among them the attentiveness and questioning of pride and joy. if i hope to manifest my

intentions of daily honoring those who make me possible and recognizing my labor is my spiritual duty to hold in the same line as those in this nation and my participation makes less possible. my life is welcoming voices and i know this is not accidental. what do i make of this, the common question what are you going to do next, i don't know. i want to imagine it while such extent the particular singularity roughly around the shape becomes unrecognizable. to both the voices that have made it possible for me and you would need to have libraries to

realize the tremendous intersection of the languages that a single one of those places represent and how recognizing each lies beyond those if magnifies each of us. that can be so joyful. thank you endlessly every day i'd be grateful that the gratitude sometimes overwhelms me. i giv have been such patient and persistent teachers and in this moment, i want to give thanks to all teachers. to the trusting hands that ushered this because the aisles to the coffee house press, thank you also. [applause] for the national book foundation, thank you for the literature but we have begun dreaming. i'm thankful to feel the warmth of any light to shine on my fellow carolina natives.

i hope they remember who they talk about when they talk about the south. phyllis williams, mike s. with this little piece of the world d that you've influenced to know the seismic immensity of what you have given. my lifelong classmate and first and last of the magic that you've made to the different possibilities. thank you. [applause] [cheering]

that was delicious. [laughter] now you are my teacher. this is neither the time nor the place, but i feel compelled to say i'm astonished at all of the incredible cover art for the books that we are seeing. [applause] [cheering] witnessing all of these writers and across the stage my own appearances has led me to wonder what in fact i'm doing here and now that we have arrived at the national book award for nonfiction, i realized that i'm being groomed. my wife and i have a book out

right now that i believe would be nonfiction so i guess they are getting me warmed up for next year when my wife is with me iwas withme it is a much cutr presentation. so please bear that in mind when you are voting. annette gordon reed won the national book award in 2009 for the hemmings on to show a an american family and this is the second time judging the national book award from action. so she is very familiar with the stage. she is charles warren professor of american legal history at harvard law school and a professor of history in the faculty of arts and sciences. she is the author among other books and the american

controversy and most blessed of the patriarchs and the empire of the imagination to welcome my table made annette gordon reed the stage. thank you. [applause] ♪ it's wonderful to be here as you said ten years ago i grew up on the stage and accepted the award but changed my life. being the chair of the national book award for nonfiction is a daunting task. you get 550 books this year and we spent the summer going over them and twisting them and

making decisions about them. i am endlessly grateful as well to my co- panelists rachel, john freeman and andre. i also have to give which is something about itself who knows something about all kinds of other ways for us to chat so they have to set things up and they do set up conference calls and due dates for when we are supposed to have more conversations of this is something that i couldn't have done by myself.

we immediately decided that we wanted to look at the form of the books, how they were presented, the content we wanted to design books we thought would last and said something about the human condition and in a way that was worthy of an award from this organization the long list that we had it up a shortlist we are proud of and as i said earlier, it would've been nice if all of these books could win. the finalists for nonfiction or colin g. calloway the indian world of george washington, the first president, first american from oxford university press in victoria johnson.

sarah smart heartland. jeffrey stewart the new negro the lives of the land lost oxford university press. [applause] we the corporation held a wonder civil rights, ww norton & co.. and the winner of the national book award for nonfiction is jeffrey stewart though i've lost my oxford university press.

♪ ♪ ♪

i have to say it is unbelievable to me, so i am grateful and so humbled that the scholars and the readers chose this book and that the national book foundation exists especially in the times we live in and which many people just don't read. first of all i have to say thank you to my literary agent i couldn't get a contract for my own and a friend of mine said you want to call and i talked with her about it and she said you are going to have to write a proposal for this.

she taught me how to promote and convince oxford university press to do this book because as some of you may know who looked at this and who have just lifted it up it's also about oxford so i wanted this book to be oxford university press and i was able to secure that and then in the '90s it was important for me at a certain point i got a chunk of it done and i heard from susan the best editor anyone can have and she said at this time i had half the book down and she said we are not going to publish two books. but we will publish one large book.

i don't think she realized at that time what she was saying because it ended up being a very large book and one that i have an enormously grateful for oxford university press to put in the time and the money to make this book but it is. in the course of a book like this i encourage many deaths and my great friend who labored over the book with me and s. one point said mit only person who believes this can be a great book and at that time i think he was. but he was still a wonderful editor that helped me learn how to write creative nonfiction's.

my friend who introduced me to what it means to be an artist and working with artists there is other people clarence walker and others i just also want to say a word to my family without whom this book would not exist and if he were here right now accepting this award, he wouldn't have a family with him as a man who lived a closeted life but they tremendous crushing aloneness so when i stand here i think about his achievement and what that was to create a family of eight )-right-paren and are to stand

dancer the basis for the new creative future is for new america. thank you. [cheering] congratulations. i've mentioned my wife. she will come to bear. here to praise and if you lease the two names together you will get megan by laila. i'm running out of

[cheering] here with us this evening unfortunately my bride is in los angeles. the most recent book won the american book award on the long list and it was a finalis was ae pulitzer prize in fiction. the recipient of fulbright and the guggenheim fellowships she is currently professor of creative writing at the university of california at riverside. please help me welcome to the stage. ♪ ♪

i'm thrilled to be here tonight with so many poets, writers, critics and readers. thank you all so much for being here. he wants to thank the national book foundation has been such a fantastic job of organizing the awards ceremony. when lisa asked me to chair the panel, she warned me that there would come a time right about the middle of the summer when we would be deluged with books and i would be very angry at her at that time never came. [laughter] i also want to acknowledge the fiction panel which has a monumental task of reading 368 books by judges and i have spirited discussions over the last six months and a few disagreements as well, but we

reached consensus and we are very, very proud of this year's list so thank you to my fellow judges. [applause] [cheering] it may seem strange considering else has happened at the world at this very moment that we spend so much of our time in solitude reading and writing fiction but fiction is even more urgent at this particular moment is through the language of stories that we interpret the world around us, it is boring

its mystery, seeing its beauty or warned about the danger. we use these to reflect and to inspire and provoke and show the future of what we have suffered and that we have survived. above all we use stories to tell truth. the novels of the collections we are celebrating tonight in so doing they tell us about ourselves. the finalists for the 2018 national book award in fiction are: a lucky man. [applause] [inaudible] by riverhead. [applause]

brandon hobson. [applause] "the great believer." [applause] "the friend." [applause] the 2018 national book award in fiction goes to "the friend." [cheering] ♪ ♪

♪ thank you so much. ♪ [applause] i would like to thank the national book foundation and all of those on the committee and thank my agent, my publisher, riverhead. [applause] [cheering] and the rest of the team my

heartfelt gratitude to you all. i was lucky enough as a child to have had a mother and teachers who taught me whatever happened in life however bad things might get i can always escape by reading a book. i was lucky enough to keep on meeting them, people who believed reading and writing were the best things a person could do with her life and to learn what alan was getting at when he said nothing is ever quite as bad as it is for other people because however dreadful it might be of use. i became a writer not because i was seeking community but because i thought it was something i could do alone and hit him in the privacy of my own room. how lucky to have discovered

writing books made a miraculous possible to be removed from the world and to be a part of the world at the same time. and tonight how happy i am to feel like a part of the world thank you so much. [applause] congratulations. and an enormous congratulations to the winners of tonight's national book award. [applause] your books will now get the coolest figure.

they joined the reins of the best literature in america. i would like to thank you so much to tonight's nominees, winners, judges, attendees and viewers with the exception of my brother who has been texting me criticism. he is a bully and i've learned that prove. the national book awards wouldn't be possible without the wonderful support of readers everywhere so let's keep reading it for everyone here in attendance please join us upstairs to the after party

including more than 3 30 eventsf political columnist and the author ann coulter. she appeared on our weekly call in program "in depth." >> guest: the repetition, turning enemies, turning opponents and enemies.

as everyone knows that has been made fun of it makes my legs tingle and for a moment i forgot to type the author's name and book in the search bar at the top of the page. michelle obama's autobiography was recently published and is already number one on most bestseller lists. she's on book tour now speaking to tens of thousands of people in arenas across the country. here is an excerpt. growing up everything that mattered was within a five block radius. my grandparents and cousins, the truth on the corner, the gas station where my mother is sent

me to pick up pacs and the liquor store that' that sold wor bread and gallons of milk. she dedicated to her parents, brother, daughters, friend, staff and husband. look for coverage of the book tour in the near future on book tv. mark freedman examines the aging demographics and what they mean for society and how to live forever. and why women have a better sex under socialism, european and russian studies professor examines how women fare under different systems. our look at this years book releases continue with no one at the wheel former new york city traffic commissioner on the future of driverless cars and

bruce recounts the first squadron in the theater after the bombing of pearl harbor. look for these titles in bookstores and watch for many of these in the future on book tv on c-span2. >> this is august 91974 why do you think that is? >> i remember her saying that. i think that for two reasons, at one level, she was very sad as manfound asmany of us were to se sitting president to resign from office. this was a dark day for the

nation for many reasons, and then i think it the other level, she was looking forward to dad retiring and she could sort of see a more intimate life and she felt like this was just ramping it up to another. now the good news she came to realize that as first lady, she was only a few hundred yards from the office so it was wonderful to have been so close bhim so closeby so she actuallyd they spent more time together in the white house than when he was moving around traveling speaking in congress.

it had to have been overwhelming right after the swearing-in she goes to the oval office and has a family portrait taken. then your dad goes to his first day of work and family goes back to their homes in alexandria because nixon had left so suddenly there was no inauguration. the white house wasn't ready for you to move into, so the family goes back to the house while president ford has the first day in office. you are having a little party with the neighbors and it isn't everyday that your dad becomes president. then your dad comes later that evening and your buddy was pulling a lasagna out of the oven and do you remember what

she said? >> you're president of the united states and i'm working in the kitchen. some in his wrong with this picture. i don't think she cooked much after that. [laughter] ..