and it was kate medina. and she came to visit me, and we talked about the possibilities. and, frankly, i wasn't sure that it would work. i wasn't sure that what emerged would be of sufficient quality that i would be proud of it. i--i just didn't know what i was getting into. and kate medina was very kind and very patient, and i didn't want an advance because if i didn't like it, i didn't want anything to do with it. i wanted to see it before i knew that i wanted to go forward with this. i mean, if you put your name on something, you want to think, 'well, maybe it's ok.' and i was very concerned about that. but she was lovely to work with and encouraging, and so we just plugged along over a period of time, and we'd share things. and we got along perfectly in terms of what we wanted to do and cover. and we had only one area of substantive disagreement, and that was about how we should characterize our father. alan never left the ranch. i mean, he went to the university of arizona, and when he married, he came back to the ranch and worked there. and i think sometimes it's ve

women who believed in me in this book and gave me the time to do it, and that's binky urban and kate medinaking and all these ferocious women at random house. and i am grateful to them. [applause] i also have to say that this book would not be possible without two other extraordinary women which are they're -- [inaudible] who are my translators on this project and who risked more than i did to tell these stories. and finally i am grateful to the courage of the people who allowed their stories to be told. and if this prize, um, means anything, i think it's this: it's that small stories in so-called hidden places matter. and one of the reasons that they matter, i think, is because, because they implicate and they complicate what we generally consider to be the larger story in this country which is, you know, and throughout the world which is the story of people who do have political and economic power. and, um, i'd just like to remember anthony shadid who was one of those great believers in small stories, and we miss him badly and thank you. [applause] >> i love that when writers are at a los

it was who believed in me in this book and gave of their time to do it and that is kate medina and londonious women at random house. i am grateful to them. [applause] i also have to say that this book would not be possible without two other extraordinary women. they are my translators for this project and they risked more than i did to tell the stories. finally, i'm grateful to the courage of the people who allow their stories to be told. if this means anything, i think it's this. that small stories in so-called places matter and one of the reasons that they matter i think is because, because they implicate and they complicate what we generally consider to be the larger story in this country which is, and throughout the world which is the peoples who do have political and economic power. i would just like to remember anthony shadid who was one of those great believers in small stories and we miss him badly and thank you. [applause] [applause] >> i i love it when writers are at a loss for words. they are still eloquent. to present the 2012 national book award for fiction is lori moore. lor