and welcome to both of you, anne patchett, i'll start with you.eel disappointment as a writer, indignation as a reader, rage as a book seller. that's how you put it in a "new york times" piece today. explain why this bothers you so much. >> well, the most important point is really as a book seller because independent bookstores-- as we all know-- are struggling. i have to say pars in a us is is doing pretty well but there is a real pull constantly to figure out how to get readers into the store, how to get them excited about books and especially important literary books and the pew hreutser is a big draw. it's right up there with christmas for bringing people into the store every year. so it's a big loss as a book seller, just not having that prize that people are talking about and getting them into the store to get this particular book. >> brown: lev grossman you wrote in time "for an organization like the pulitzer board to automatically hand a prize to a novel every single year feels a bit like bad faith to me." what do you mean by that? what's

to the publishing lab at the university of north carolina wilmington, to ann patchett, and thanks tol of you for coming. finally, i'm grateful to the three small presses who published my earlier collections and to the many little magazines who published my stories, and to the many who rejected them. [laughter] little presses and little magazines are committed to keeping literature allye, and they deserve thanks from if every writer, tonight particularly from me. thank you. [applause] >> thank you all for joining us tonight, and we hope you'll join us, also, at the reception at 55 west 13th street on the second floor. have a good evening and congratulations to all our finalists. [applause] [inaudible conversations] >> for more information about the national book critics circle, visit their web site, bookcritics,.org. now, more from little rock. booktv visited the city with the help of our local cable partner, comcast of central arkansas. >> we are in the original house of representatives chamber at the old statehouse which was the arkansas state capitol from 1836 to 1911. and the sece