Jason Reynolds, Author and National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, to Host 71st National Book Awards

The award-winning author will be the master of ceremonies for the 2020 National Book Awards

The National Book Foundation announced that Jason Reynolds, acclaimed author, two-time National Book Award Finalist, and current National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, will host the 71^st National Book Awards on November 18, 2020. In addition, Reynolds will host the Teen Press Conference, in partnership with the Miami Book Fair, on November 16, 2020.

“The National Book Awards events are a continued commitment to literature and its power to transform readers’ lives,” said Lisa Lucas, Executive Director of the National Book Foundation. “Jason Reynolds embodies this commitment, and we are thrilled that he will host this year’s celebration.”

On November 18, Reynolds will serve as master of ceremonies for the National Book Awards that will announce the Winners in the categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature. The ceremony that evening will also include the presentation of two lifetime achievement awards, to Walter Mosley and the late Carolyn Reidy.

“To be at the forefront of ushering in the celebration of my peers would’ve been a gift at any point in my career. But to do so during this complicated time is nothing short of an honor,” said Jason Reynolds.

Jason Reynolds is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and the 2020-2021 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Jason’s many books include Miles Morales: Spider Man, the Track series (Ghost, Patina, Sunny, and Lu), Long Way Down, which received a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, and a Coretta Scott King Honor, and Look Both Ways, which was a National Book Award Finalist. His latest book, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, is a collaboration with Ibram X. Kendi. Jason has appeared on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and CBS This Morning. He is on faculty at Lesley University, for the Writing for Young People MFA Program and lives in Washington, DC. You can find his ramblings at JasonWritesBooks.com