The Literarian Award is presented
to an individual for outstanding service to the
American literary community, whose life and work
exemplify the goals of the National Book Foundation
to expand the audience for literature and to enhance
the cultural value of literature in America.
2007
On November 14th, at the 2007 National Book Awards
Ceremony, the National Book Foundation will honor
Terry Gross,
host and executive producer of National Public Radio’s
“Fresh Air,” with The Literarian Award
for Outstanding Service to the American Literary
Community. This award recognizes the important contribution
she has made to the world of books – and to
our understanding of literature and the writing
process – through her probing and intelligent
interviews with authors. Ira
Glass, host and producer of public
radio’s “This American Life,”
will present the Award.
Photo ©
Will Ryan |
Terry Gross
is the host and co-executive producer of “Fresh
Air,” National Public Radio’s weekday
magazine of contemporary arts and issues. The
program is heard by more than four and a half
million people on nearly 500 public radio stations.
Over the years her guests have included America’s
most interesting and celebrated writers.
Gross began her radio
career in 1973 at public radio station WBFO
in Buffalo, New York. Two years later Terry
Gross began hosting and producing “Fresh
Air,” when it was a local program broadcast
by WHYY in Philadelphia. NPR has distributed
the daily program since 1987. In 1994, “Fresh
Air” received a Peabody Award, which
cited Gross for her “probing questions
and unusual insights.” In 1999, America
Women in Radio and Television gave Gross a
Gracie Award in the category National Network
Radio Personality. In 2003, Gross received
the Edward R. Murrow Award from the Corporation
for Public Broadcasting. Her book, All
I Did Was Ask: Conversations with Writers,
Actors, Musicians and Artists, was published
in 2004. She was born and raised in Brooklyn,
New York.
Photo ©
Nancy Updike |
Ira Glass
is the host and producer of the public radio
program, “This American Life.” The
show had its premier on Chicago’s public
radio station WBEZ in 1995 and is now heard
on more than 500 public radio stations each
week. In March 2007, the television adaptation
of “This American Life” premiered
on Showtime to critical acclaim. Under Glass’s
direction, the show has won the highest honors
for broadcasting and journalistic excellence,
including the Peabody and DuPont-Columbia awards,
as well as the Edward R. Murrow and the Overseas
Press Club awards. In 2001, Time magazine
named Glass “Best Radio Host in America.”
Glass began
his career as an intern at National Public
Radio in Washington, D.C. and over the years
has worked on nearly every NPR network news
program and held virtually every production
job in NPR’s Washington headquarters.
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