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the National Book Awards
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Presenter of
the National Book Awards
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The National Book Foundation announced its fall NBF Presents line-up of nine events taking place in Huntsville, Miami, New York, and Portland, from September through November, leading up to the 74th National Book Awards Ceremony & Benefit Dinner on November 15, 2023. NBF Presents, the moniker for all of the Foundation’s public programs, represents the National Book Foundation’s goal to connect readers across the United States with authors honored by the National Book Foundation through the National Book Awards, 5 Under 35, and Science + Literature. NBF Presents is made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Programming for the fall season will be presented alongside new and returning program partners and held in-person, with select events streamed online at no cost to attendees.
Authors honored by the National Book Foundation confirmed to appear at NBF Presents events in the fall season include Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Alexandra Chang, Nikky Finney, Robin Coste Lewis, Darcie Little Badger, Roger Reeves, Marytza K. Rubio, Jacqueline Woodson, and C Pam Zhang, as well as yet-to-be-announced 2023 National Book Award Longlisters. Poet, memoirist, and translator Tomás Q. Morín joins the line-up to moderate an NBF Presents event presented in partnership with Sam Houston State University.
“I cannot stress enough how our partnership with the National Book Foundation has led to the enrichment of our students, faculty, and community at Sam Houston State University,” said Jacob Blevins, Professor and Chair of the English Department at Sam Houston State University. “The event is one of the highlights of our programming, and our community is better for it; this is a testament to the Foundation’s commitment to spreading the culture and the beauty of the literary arts.”
The Foundation will present programs featuring authors honored by the National Book Foundation in partnership with the Brooklyn Book Festival; Miami Book Fair; Portland Book Festival; Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas; and Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, New York.
“Through NBF Presents events, we aspire to connect even more readers with authors and their works, and create space for timely conversations that celebrate the power of diverse stories amid continued book-banning efforts,” said Ruth Dickey, Executive Director of the National Book Foundation. “This upcoming season, we are excited to collaborate with new and longtime partners to bring authors honored by the Foundation—including a new cohort of National Book Award Longlisters, Finalists, and Winners—to readers, in person and online.”
The fall season of NBF Presents events will lead up to the 74th National Book Awards Ceremony & Benefit Dinner on Wednesday, November 15, 2023, hosted by Drew Barrymore and featuring special guest Oprah Winfrey. On Tuesday, November 14, NYC-area middle and high school students can attend the in-person Teen Press Conference, which will feature a conversation and book signing with the 2023 National Book Award Finalists for Young People’s Literature. That evening, the Finalist Reading, presented in partnership with the NYU Creative Writing Program at NYU Skirball, will gather all 2023 National Book Award Finalists to read excerpts from their honored works. The Teen Press Conference, Finalist Reading, and the National Book Awards Ceremony are all broadcast live for free for readers everywhere.
The full list of confirmed fall NBF Presents events can be found below with additional details and registration information coming soon, and an updated NBF Presents calendar is available at the Foundation’s website. Events are free unless otherwise noted but tickets are limited, so please RSVP directly at the Foundation or partner website as directed.
Tuesday, September 19, 6:00pm CDT
In-Person | Huntsville, TX
Sam Houston State University
NBF Presents: An Evening with the National Book Awards
Join National Book Award–honored authors Darcie Little Badger (A Snake Falls to Earth, 2021 Young People’s Literature Longlister), Roger Reeves (Best Barbarian, 2022 Poetry Finalist), and Marytza K. Rubio (Maria, Maria, 2022 Fiction Longlister) for readings and conversation on stories based in and outside of Texas, real and fantastical. Moderated by Tomás Q. Morín, author of Machete and associate professor at Rice University. Presented in partnership with Sam Houston State University’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the MFA Program in Creative Writing.
Thursday, September 28, 7:00pm EDT
In-Person & Livestreamed | Harlem, NY
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Schomburg Center and NBF Presents: The Poetics of the Archive
National Book Award Winners Nikky Finney (Head Off & Split, 2011 Poetry Winner) and Robin Coste Lewis (Voyage of the Sable Venus, 2015 Poetry Winner) excavate and reimagine family and historical archives as poetry in their recent books Love Child’s Hotbed of Occasional Poetry and To the Realization of Perfect Helplessness. The authors join National Book Award Winner Jacqueline Woodson (Brown Girl Dreaming, 2014 Young People’s Literature Winner) in conversation on the care of community archival work and the power of Black stories amidst continued book banning. Presented in partnership with Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. This is an official 2023 Brooklyn Book Festival Bookend event. Please register here.
Sunday, October 1
In-Person | Brooklyn, NY
Brooklyn Book Festival
NBF Presents: What Comes After the Debut
Join National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honorees Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (Friday Black; Chain Gang All Stars), Alexandra Chang (Days of Distraction; Tomb Sweeping), and C Pam Zhang (How Much of These Hills Is Gold; Land of Milk and Honey) to celebrate the recent publication of their second books. The authors discuss what it means for your debut book to find its audience, and then return to the page for a new story. Moderated by Natalie Green, Director of Programs & Partnerships at the National Book Foundation. Presented in partnership with the Brooklyn Book Festival.
Saturday, November 4
In-Person | Portland, OR
Portland Book Festival
NBF Presents: An Afternoon with the National Book Awards
2023 National Book Award Longlisters, Finalists, and potential Winners come together for readings and conversation in advance of the 74th National Book Awards. Presented in partnership with Portland Book Festival. More event details coming soon.
Tuesday, November 14, 10:30am EST
In-Person & Livestreamed | New York, NY
2023 Teen Press Conference
The National Book Award Finalists in Young People’s Literature come together for a conversation and question-and-answer session with New York City’s middle and high school students. While in-person school groups are limited (more information to come here), all are invited to tune-in to the livestream.
Tuesday, November 14, 7:00pm EST
In-Person & Livestreamed | New York, NY
NYU Skirball
2023 National Book Awards Finalist Reading
Each year, the National Book Award Finalists in Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature gather the evening before the National Book Awards Ceremony to read excerpts from their honored works. Doors open at 6:30pm, and the program begins at 7:00pm EST. The event is livestreamed for readers everywhere. Presented in partnership with the NYU Creative Writing Program.
Wednesday, November 15, 8:00pm EST
In-Person & Livestreamed | New York, NY
The 74th National Book Awards Ceremony & Benefit Dinner
The 74th National Book Awards Ceremony includes the presentation of the National Book Foundation’s lifetime achievement awards and announces the 2023 Winners of the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, Translated Literature, Poetry, Nonfiction, and Fiction. Hosted by Drew Barrymore and featuring special guest Oprah Winfrey. While the in-person event is invite-only, the Ceremony is livestreamed for free for readers everywhere—register for the broadcast here.
Friday, November 17, 10:00am EST
In-Person | Miami, FL
Miami Book Fair
2023 Teen Press Conference – Miami
The 2023 National Book Award–honored authors in Young People’s Literature visit the Miami Book Fair to share more about their books and answer questions from Miami-Dade County’s middle and high school students. Presented in partnership with the Miami Book Fair. For more information and to RSVP, contact Ismery Pavon at ipavon@mdc.edu.
Saturday, November 18
Miami, FL
Miami Book Fair
NBF Presents: An Afternoon with the National Book Awards
Immediately following the National Book Awards Ceremony in New York, the 2023 honored authors head to the Miami Book Fair. Genre breakout panels take place throughout the day and build to an annual super-sized showcase—featuring 2023 National Book Award Longlisters, Finalists, and Winners in Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature from around the country and world—for rapid-fire readings and questions from Executive Director Ruth Dickey. Presented in partnership with the Miami Book Fair. More event details coming soon.
For times and locations for events, please visit www.nationalbook.org or the websites of any of our partners.
