Category Archives: awards

October 17, 2011   Jim   awards, controversy, Jim  
5

National Book Flub

Maybe I shouldn’t blog about the National Book Awards kerfuffle since once upon a time I interned for the foundation for one semester. But oh man, I love a good scandal, and I can’t help myself.

For those who don’t know, when the finalists were announced for the Young People’s Literature Award last week, they had to go back and add a sixth nominee because something had been included in error. No one actually said what book wasn’t supposed to be on the list, but it was pretty quickly deduced that Lauren Myracle’s SHINE wasn’t intended as a finalist. So there are six books up for the award instead of five and one author being forced to look like an idiot. “Congratulation on your nomina….PSYCH!”

According to Myracle, at the end of last week, it was decided that she should withdraw from the running in order to protect the integrity of the award. The integrity of an award that couldn’t even get its nominees listed correctly in the official announcement.

Hindsight is 20/20, but let’s imagine how this would have gone under slightly different circumstances: five finalists are named. A sixth finalist is added and we’re told that there was an error: usually only five books are up for the award but the judges selected six this year. Because of the unusual circumstances, one accidentally got left off the official announcement. The sixth book is added, and everyone goes about their days. No authors are publicly acknowledged as NOT finalists thus reducing the potential for humiliating someone through no fault of their own.

Much to her credit, Myracle has handled the situation with aplomb. And the $5K that she would have received as a finalist has been donated to the Matthew Shephard Foundation. AND…free publicity! After reading so much about her book SHINE, which deals with a girl whose best friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, I actually ordered a copy. Maybe others have as well? It sounds like a stunning novel, so I’m now really looking forward to diving in. I mean…as much as you “look forward” to reading really sad-sounding things.

Still, while Myracle could get some new sales out of this, I’m pretty sure she would have traded some sales for not having to be put through the ringer for the past week. Poorly played, former employer. Poorly played.

October 13, 2011   Jessica   awards, bestsellers, blog chat, buzz  
5

Spinach?

When the nominees for the National Book Award were announced this week, I was embarrassed to note that I’d read not one of the fiction shortlist, not even Tea Obrecht’s  widely praised Tiger’s Wife. I was pleased to see that small presses (Bellevue, University of North Carolina Press) were represented among the nominees, and I looked forward to the pleasant possibility–dim though it may be, given my to-read pile– of getting hold of these novels. Thus, it was with dismay that I read Laura Millers piece in Salon in which she accuses the National Book Award of being “irrelevant” on the grounds of its “esoteric” choices. Miller argues that the NBA should instead help the people “who can find time for only two or three new novels per year read something significant.”

While I don’t dispute her claim that most of the nation neither knows nor cares about publishing industry buzz, I would submit that the reading public—whether pointy-headed out-of-touch intellectuals or occasional book buyers in search of a good read–has little difficulty encountering the season’s Big Books. Geoffrey Eugenides’ The Marriage Plot, one of the novels she singles out for having been passed over, is everywhere. The same was doubly true of Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom (cover of Time Magazine, anyone?).

Miller might dispute the judges’ choices on the basis of merit (having read none of them, I can’t comment on their worthiness) but to be categorically dismissive of these selections, which she likens to the “literary equivalent of spinach,” seems not only unfair, but absurd.  We all know that book promotion and review coverage are in short supply, so if the NBA sets out to cast a wider net than what the media serves up, how is that a bad thing?

What do you think?

July 28, 2011   DG&B   awards, interview, Jessica, writing  
5

Late Bloomers

Earlier this week I listened to Terry Gross’s interview with author Donald Ray Pollock, whose novel, The Devil All the Time, was just released. His first book, a collection of short stories titled Knockemstiff, set in the eponymous Southern Ohio town where he grew up, was published in 2008. His gritty, often bleak tales won not only critical acclaim, but the PEN/Robert Bingham Award and the 2009 Devil’s Kitchen Award in Prose. His was an unusual—and protracted—journey to being a writer. According to NPR, “Pollock dropped out of high school at the age of 17 to work in a meatpacking plant. He then spent 32 years working in a paper mill before quitting to pursue his dream of becoming a writer.” I thought this was a pretty terrific story. I found further inspiration re-reading Malcolm Gladwells 2008 New Yorker piece on late bloomers.

In it he writes “On the road to great achievement, the late bloomer will resemble a failure: while the late bloomer is revising and despairing and changing course and slashing canvases to ribbons after months or years, what he or she produces will look like the kind of thing produced by the artist who will never bloom at all. Prodigies are easy. They advertise their genius from the get-go. Late bloomers are hard. They require forbearance and blind faith.”

I wondered if any of you are, like Pollock, relative late (new) comers to creative writing?  Holler if “forbearance and blind faith” sound familiar.

May 23, 2011   Jane   awards, controversy, Jane, opinion, reading  
14

Do I have to like an author to enjoy reading their work?

This week there was a big brouhaha over Philip Roth winning the Booker prize.

How could someone so unlikeable be celebrated in such a prominent way, many asked.

This made me think—does a writer’s personal reputation affect the opinions of those who read him or her?  Two examples came quickly to mind:

The first is Jonathan Franzen.  When I picked up The Corrections, it was right in the middle of Franzen’s refusal to go on Oprah after she picked his book for her book club.  How dare he?  But I read the novel anyway.  It was indeed brilliant, but I have to say that because of my take on the author’s arrogance, I didn’t love it.  And despite the fact that friends and colleagues have raved about Freedom, I have absolutely no desire to read it.

And then there is James Frey.  I never read A Million Little Pieces and after the news that much of it was fabricated came out, again, I had no desire to.  But I was curious about his novel, Bright Shiny Morning.  I did read the book, which I thought was interesting and well done, but I didn’t fall in love. I think one of the main reasons for that was the author’s personal reputation.

So what do you think?  With all the wonderful books to choose from, are you affected by the author’s notoriety?

January 11, 2011   John   awards, children's books, fun, John, opinion, our clients  
2

Thoughts on ALA

Yesterday morning, the American Library Association announced its annual slate of children’s book awards, including the Newbery and Caldecott Medals. Congratulations to all the winners, especially Jewell Parker Rhodes and A.S. King (who just happen to be DGLM clients). Go team!

It’s always interesting to look at the slate of winners and see if there are any lessons to be drawn for the future. Hence, some thoughts, although with a major caveat—I, er, haven’t read any of them yet…

  • CALDECOTT:  A Sick Day for Amos McGee, illustrated by Erin E. Stead, written by Philip C. Stead. Though it had been discussed on-line as a contender, it’s still rare for a debut to win the medal. That said, I can see why it won: The art has a great blend of classic line and child-friendly simplicity, much like Caldecott favorite Marla Frazee. But I’m particularly struck the story and how it features an adult main character, which is one of the big no-nos in picture book writing. Kudos to the Steads for pulling it off—I’d love to see more writers break the rules like this!
  • NEWBERY: Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool. Also discussed on-line as a contender, also a debut, though that’s less unusual for Newbery. Like Amos McGee, it seems a bit retro—historical fiction often comes across as old-fashioned these days. Granted, Newbery has a long history of loving historical fiction, but it’s telling that in a year when ebooks and apps were the talk of the town, the librarians chose to look back to the past. So I’ll be curious now to see if Moon starts to take off in the trade, or if it’s regarded as hopelessly institutional—that’s a question prospective MG writers should consider, too,  especially as the gap between trade and institutional seem to be widening further.
  • PRINTZ: Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi. Really eager to read this one! I have to say, Newbery could take a nod from Printz when it comes to balancing high-interest subject matter and art (i.e., trade and institutional). Year after year, they seem to pick winners and honor books that run the gamut of YA genres and subject matter. I will say, though, that this year’s list seems pretty dark, especially compared to last year’s winners. A reflection on 2010 in general? It’ll be interesting to see if things brighten up for YA in 2011.
  • CORETTA SCOTT KING: I’ll probably catch hell for saying this, but could we please get some new names in here? Not that winners Rita Williams-Garcia and Bryan Collier aren’t deserving, but you look at the winners and honors over the last ten years, and it’s the same players over and over again. Can’t we expand the club a bit?

So, dear readers, what did you think about the awards? Pleased? Surprised? Outraged? I’d love to know. And finally, a BIG congratulations to Wilder Award winner Tomie dePaola. Hooray for Tomie!!!

November 18, 2010   DG&B   awards, fun, lists, Michael, reading  
2

NBA!

by Michael

No, I’m not suddenly blogging about sports. That would be a stretch! I’m talking the National Book Awards, which were held last night (winners here). I was lucky enough to attend this year with the lovely and talented Sara Zarr, who was a judge in the Young People’s Literature category. You can read a bit about her experience judging on her blog. I can only imagine how tough it must have been to whittle the books first down to five finalists, then down to one winner. I’m just glad it wasn’t me!

The night was a lot of fun, meeting the other judges and some of the nominees, hobnobbing with illustrious publishing folk. I think it’s the only event this year that can boast both Elmo and Tom Wolfe as speakers. (My only disappointment last night was in not meeting Elmo.) But the moment of the night was most definitely Patti Smith’s acceptance speech for her nonfiction win for Just Kids. Already in tears as she walked to the stage, she recounted working at Scribner’s bookstore years ago, and how she would shelve the National Book Award winners, dreaming that someday she would write a book that could win the award. It was so genuine and so endearing. Already popular, I knew she earned even more admirers last night.

I haven’t had much time to scan the blogs today, but I’m curious what everyone thought of the winners. Has anyone even read the fiction winner?

October 13, 2010   DG&B   awards, favorites, fun, Miriam, opinion, reading  
8

The price of prizes….

by Miriam

Years ago I found myself positively gleeful at the news that Oscar Hijuelos had won a Pulitzer for his gorgeous novel, The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love. I’d not long before finished reading the book and was foisting it upon everyone and anyone—people would read it just to shut me up. Of course, part of my delight was due to the fact that Hijuelos was (and is) Cuban American, as am I. The prize seemed to validate not just my wonderful reading experience but also Hijuelos’ and my shared cultural memories and references.

A few days ago, I was thrilled to hear about another prize won by a Latin American author. This time, it was Mario Vargas Llosa’s Nobel, a prize that eluded him for decades—long after his arch-nemesis Gabriel Garcia Marquez won it and proceeded to rub it in his face at every gathering of illustrious Spanish speaking novelists (okay, maybe this just happens in my imagination and the first congratulatory phone call Mario received was from Gabriel).

On the one hand, it seems silly that these prizes (and their siblings, the Booker, the National Book Award, etc.) should in any way influence our regard for these authors. On the other, check out what the indefatigably witty Adam Gopnik says about this laudatory season.

Do prizes make you pick up books (or avoid them)? Do they influence how you view certain authors? Are you above such trifles?

January 20, 2010   DG&B   awards, children's books, fun, reading, Stacey  
3

Newbery, Caldecott, and a Faux Pas

by Stacey

The Pulitzers of children’s books were announced this week, and the Newbery winner, Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me, was tweeted about by an insider at Random House 17 minutes before the award was officially revealed. Oops. Such is the danger of the digital age. The post was taken down almost as soon as it was put up, and Random House has been quiet about the culprit.

The Caldecott for best illustrated book goes to Jerry Pinkney’s The Lion and the Mouse, a wordless picture book.

If any of you blog readers have read or seen either of these and want to share your thoughts, we’d love to hear them!

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