Last week was one of the most important times of year in the literary world --- the National Book Awards! These awards celebrate the best of the best in American literature in all fields --- adult fiction, adult nonfiction, poetry, and, as LEMONY SNICKET author Daniel Handler delightfully claimed was the most important category, Books for Young Readers.
I was lucky enough to attend the Awards and have a front seat for all of the action, as well as a couple of the pre-Awards events, including 5 Under 35, a “celebration of emerging fiction writers” under 35 years old, and the Teen Choice Book Conference, where New York City students interview the finalists for the National Book Award in Young People’s Literature.
Below, I detail some of my favorite moments from those whirlwind few days.
“Literary stars” (Teen Press Conference) – When Sherrie was introducing the National Book Award for Young Readers finalists to the anxious students in the room, she said “You have movie stars --- these are your literary stars.” I just loved the way she equated authors with actors, singers and athletes --- other famous people who get red carpets and are (much to their chagrin) followed around by photographers and screaming fans. I’m not saying that we should start stalking authors in supermarkets, but I really like the idea that yes, authors are stars, they are special, and they do deserve to have their handprints strewn about Hollywood sidewalks. For more on this, see the opener of our Late November newsletter.
Jacqueline Woodson’s acceptance speech (National Book Awards) --- When Jacqueline won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, she said that she “love[d] how much love is in the world of YA and children’s lit” and that “the world wouldn’t be complete without all of our stories in it.” I appreciated Jacqueline’s acknowledgement that the community in YA and children’s books is just as important as the books themselves. This isn’t a world where writers are competing with each other to be that topbook on the New York Times list --- they want to help each other get there, offer advice and support and blurbs and hugs. In the kids’ world, authors really do realize that all stories are important, and the very fact that Jackie brought this up in her acceptance speech, rather than solely talking about her book BROWN GIRL DREAMING, was itself a demonstration of this supportive community.
The fact that a children’s author hosted the National Book Awards (National Book Awards) --- Daniel Handler, the author of the popular Lemony Snicket books, hosted the Awards, and I appreciated that he sprinkled his introductions with shout-outs to children’s and YA lit. At the beginning he said that children’s literature was “the finest in the world,” and later on, when saying that they would announce the category winners in reverse alphabetical order (meaning the Young Readers recipient would be unveiled first), he joked that he was really listing them in order of importance. While obviously we all love adult fiction, nonfiction and poetry too, I couldn’t help but smile every time he “patted the back” of his own category.
Wacky questions (5 under 35) --- When people moderate panels, there are a few questions you can expect --- “What inspired your book?” “What are you writing next?” “What’s your writing process?” There is nothing wrong with these questions --- often it’s what audience members are most curious about --- but at the same time, they can get a little…tired. Boring. Repetitive. I loved that 5 Under 35 moderator Ben Greenman, an editor at The New Yorker and author, mixed things up a bit. He asked the authors to “describe the theme of their book in one word” “one classic they hadn’t read that they would never read” and “one classic they hadn’t read that they wanted to read,” and if there was one place where they did most of their writing. The questions required quick answers, thinking on your feet and were just fun for everyone in the audience.
Eliot’s answer to “the writer’s block question” (Teen Press Conference) --- One teen asked the authors if they ever get writer’s block, and I thought THREATENED author Eliot Schrefer gave an amazing answer (one that I in fact passed down to my Girls Write Now mentee last weekend, and I plan to use myself). He said that everyone has two writers inside of them, a creator and a critic, and they can never be in the room at the same time. The creator is the one who comes up with the ideas and gets them on paper. They don’t look back at the paragraph they just wrote, and they don’t doubt that their words aren’t good enough. They just write. Then, they “take a vacation” and it’s the critic’s turn to step up to the plate. Only the critic can comb over the writing and change things, make them better. Both writers are crucial, but they can never ever meet. It’s their fusion that causes writer’s block --- their separation can make magic happen!
Ursula Le Guin’s speech (National Book Awards) --- The author of the famous Earthsea books was awarded the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, and her acceptance speech was something to be reckoned with. She stood by the importance of genre authors (“with hard times coming, we’ll want writers who can see alternatives to how we live now”) said that we should stop acting like books are commodities like deodorant, and claimed that the reward for people in writing and publishing is not “profit” --- it’s “freedom.” Her speech left the whole room thinking about the future of the industry, and awed with her bravery to face the problems in the business head on.
Black Tie! (National Book Awards) --- OK, I realize this one doesn’t quite fit in with the other items on the list, but come on --- there is something exciting about getting all dressed up that just elevates an event into a different category. Being a four-year-old on the inside who never quite gave up on her favorite game of dress-up, I loved the excuse to don what I call “the fairy dress” and gold high heels, and to scan the room for great outfits. I know we don’t ask authors “what they’re wearing” in the same way we interrogate actors on the red carpet, but that doesn’t mean the literary world can’t enjoy some tuxes and sparkles once in awhile.
Shara Zaval is the Editor of Teenreads.com.
