The new school hosts 2015 national book critics circle
|
NEW YORK (February 25, 2015) – Finalists in the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) will descend on The New School to read from their works and take part in an award ceremony honoring the best books of 2014 on Wednesday, March 11 (reading) and Thursday, March 12 (award ceremony) at The Auditorium at 66 West 12th Street. Author Toni Morrison, the iconic American novelist, editor and professor, will be honored with the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award. Morrison will be introduced by former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove. Co-sponsored by the MFA Program in Creative Writing at The New School, the two nights of events celebrate the best of American literature as decided by a jury of working critics and book-review editors. “For more than 15 years, The New School MFA in Creative Writing Program has hosted the National Book Critics Circle Readings and Awards Ceremony,” says Luis Jaramillo, Director of the School of Writing and Assistant Professor of Writing. “The two nights of events are a celebration not only of the achievements of the finalists, but of criticism itself. All of us writers and critics at The New School are grateful to be part of this celebration and conversation about literature.” Economist Thomas Piketty, poet Claudia Rankine and novelists Chang rae-Lee and Marilynne Robinson are among the 30 finalists. Awards are handed out in the categories of Fiction, General Nonfiction, Biography, Autobiography, Poetry and Criticism. For a full list of finalists, visit the NBCC website; to read interviews with the finalists conducted by New School students, visit the Writing At The New School blog. Morrison, 83, has been a powerful catalyst in shaping literary culture over the past half century. Her lifetime of achievement includes The Bluest Eye, Sula, Song of Solomon and Beloved, for which she won the Pulitzer Prize and the American Book Award in 1988. In addition, she received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. Her work as a cultural critic includesPlaying in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination and What Moves at the Margin: Selected Nonfiction. Founded in 1919, The New School was born out of principles of academic freedom, tolerance, and experimentation. Committed to social engagement, The New School today remains in the vanguard of innovation in higher education, with more than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students challenging the status quo in design and the social sciences, liberal arts, management, the arts, and media. The New School welcomes thousands of adult learners annually for continuing education courses and calendar of lectures, screenings, readings, and concerts. Through its online learning portals, research institutes, and international partnerships, The New School maintains a global presence. Learn more at www.newschool.edu. |
|
Founded in 1919, The New School was born out of principles of academic freedom, tolerance, and experimentation. Committed to social engagement, The New School today remains in the vanguard of innovation in higher education, with more than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students challenging the status quo in design and the social sciences, liberal arts, management, the arts, and media. The New School welcomes thousands of adult learners annually for continuing education courses and calendar of lectures, screenings, readings, and concerts. Through its online learning portals, research institutes, and international partnerships, The New School maintains a global presence. Learn more at www.newschool.edu. The National Book Critics Circle was founded in 1974 at New York’s legendary Algonquin Hotel by a group of the most influential critics of the day, and awarded its first set of honors in 1975, 40 years ago. Comprising more than 700 working critics and book-review editors throughout the country, the NBCC annually bestows its awards in six categories, honoring the best books published in the past year in the United States. It is considered one of the most prestigious awards in the publishing industry. The finalists for the NBCC awards are nominated, evaluated, and selected by the 24-member board of directors, which consists of critics and editors from some of the country’s leading print and online publications, as well as critics whose works appear in these publications. For more information about the history and activities of the National Book Critics Circle and to learn how to become a supporter, visit http://www.bookcritics.org. |
 |
MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION |
| 79 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10003 www.newschool.edu |
PRESS RELEASE |
Media Contacts: Scott Gargan, |
|