National Book Foundation Inc

THE MISSION OF THE NATIONAL BOOK FOUNDATION IS TO CELEBRATE THE BEST LITERATURE IN AMERICA, EXPAND ITS AUDIENCE, AND ENSURE THAT BOOKS HAVE A PROMINENT PLACE IN AMERICAN CULTURE. NBF CARRIES OUT ITS MISSION THROUGH AWARDS & HONORS (MOST NOTABLY THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS FOUNDED IN 1950), PUBLIC PROGRAMS (BRINGING NBA-RECOGNIZED AUTHORS TO COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE US), EDUCATION & ACCESS (INSPIRING A LOVE OF READING IN YOUNG PEOPLE), AND SUPPORT FOR THE LITERARY FIELD (INCLUDING THE LITERARY ARTS EMERGENCY FUND).

THE MISSION OF THE NATIONAL BOOK FOUNDATION IS TO CELEBRATE THE BEST LITERATURE IN AMERICA, EXPAND ITS AUDIENCE, AND ENSURE THAT BOOKS HAVE A PROMINENT PLACE IN AMERICAN CULTURE. NBF CARRIES OUT ITS MISSION THROUGH AWARDS & HONORS (MOST NOTABLY THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS FOUNDED IN 1950), PUBLIC PROGRAMS (BRINGING NBA-HONORED AUTHORS TO COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE US), EDUCATION & ACCESS (INSPIRING A LOVE OF READING IN YOUNG PEOPLE), AND SUPPORT FOR THE LITERARY FIELD (INCLUDING THE LITERARY ARTS EMERGENCY FUND). MORE DETAILED INFORMATION IS IN THE DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM SERVICES ON SCHEDULE OAWARDS AND HONORSTHE NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS (NBAS) ARE ONE OF THE NATION'S MOST PRESTIGIOUS LITERARY PRIZES, WITH A STELLAR RECORD OF IDENTIFYING AND REWARDING QUALITY WRITING. WITHIN A DECADE OF ITS FOUNDING IN 1950, THE NBAS ACKNOWLEDGED THE WORK OF WRITERS SUCH AS HANNAH ARENDT, W.H. AUDEN, SAUL BELLOW, TRUMAN CAPOTE, RACHEL CARSON, RALPH ELLISON, WILLIAM FAULKNER, MARIANNE MOORE, VLADIMIR NABOKOV, FLANNERY O'CONNOR, KATHERINE ANNE PORTER, ADRIENNE RICH, EUDORA WELTY, AND WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS-AUTHORS WHO HAVE HELPED SHAPE THE FOUNDATION OF LITERATURE IN THE UNITED STATES. THIS TRADITION CONTINUES, WITH THE NBAS TODAY HONORING A DIVERSE COMMUNITY OF WRITERS INCLUDING ELIZABETH ACEVEDO, ROBERT A. CARO, MASHA GESSEN, TERRANCE HAYES, IBRAM X. KENDI, LSZL KRASZNAHORKAI, JACQUELINE WOODSON, JESMYN WARD, AND COLSON WHITEHEAD, AMONG MANY OTHERS. AWARDS ARE SELECTED BY A PANEL OF PEER WRITERS AND LITERARY LEADERS, AND ARE CURRENTLY PRESENTED IN FIVE CATEGORIES: FICTION, NONFICTION, POETRY, TRANSLATED LITERATURE (INTRODUCED IN FISCAL YEAR 2019), AND YOUNG PEOPLE'S LITERATURE. IN FISCAL YEAR 2022 THE WINNERS WERE, RESPECTIVELY: HELL OF A BOOK BY JASON MOTT; ALL THAT SHE CARRIED BY TIYA MILES; FLOATERS BY MARTN ESPADA; WINTER IN SOKCHO BY ELISA SHUA DUSAPIN, TRANSLATED BY ANEESA ABBAS HIGGINS; AND LAST NIGHT AT THE TELEGRAPH CLUB BY MALINDA LO. THE NATIONAL BOOK FOUNDATION ALSO AWARDS AN ANNUAL MEDAL FOR DISTINGUISHED CONTRIBUTION TO AMERICAN LETTERS TO A PERSON OR ENTITY "WHO, IN THE OPINION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE NATIONAL BOOK FOUNDATION, HAS ENRICHED OUR LITERARY HERITAGE OVER A LIFE OF SERVICE, OR CORPUS OF WORK." IN FISCAL YEAR 2022, THE MEDAL WAS PRESENTED TO AUTHOR KAREN TEI YAMASHITA. THE NATIONAL BOOK FOUNDATION ALSO PRESENTS AN ANNUAL LITERARIAN AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO THE AMERICAN LITERARY COMMUNITY, WHICH IN FISCAL YEAR 2022 WAS AWARDED TO LIBRARIAN NANCY PEARL. FINALLY, THE 5 UNDER 35 PROGRAM IDENTIFIES AND CELEBRATES FIVE EMERGING FICTION WRITERS ANNUALLY, SELECTED BY FORMER NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALISTS AND WINNERS. IN FISCAL YEAR 2022, THE HONOREES WERE CALEB AZUMAH NELSON, NATHAN HARRIS, LEE LAI, CLAIRE LUCHETTE, AND DANTIEL W. MONIZ.NBA-HONORED AUTHORS ARE THE CORNERSTONE OF THE NATIONAL BOOK FOUNDATION'S PROGRAMS, WHICH SERVE READERS OF ALL AGES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, FREE-OF-CHARGE, WITH A STRONG EMPHASIS ON URBAN AND RURAL COMMUNITIES WHERE THERE ARE BARRIERS TO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE LITERARY ARTS.PUBLIC PROGRAMSTHE NATIONAL BOOK FOUNDATION'S PUBLIC PROGRAMS FALL UNDER THE MONIKER OF NBF PRESENTS, A SERIES OF PUBLIC READINGS AND BOOK-BASED DISCUSSIONS WITH NBA-HONORED AUTHORS AT COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIES, LIBRARIES, PERFORMANCE VENUES, AND BOOK FESTIVALS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND INCLUDES TOPICAL PROGRAMS LIKE LITERATURE FOR JUSTICE, A NATIONAL PROJECT THAT DISTRIBUTES NBA-HONORED TITLES TO PRISONS AND DETENTION CENTERS AROUND THE COUNTRY IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LITERATURE FOR JUSTICE COMMITTEE MEMBER REGINALD DWAYNE BETTS ORGANIZATION FREEDOM READS. IN FISCAL YEAR 2022, NBF PRESENTS INCLUDED BOTH VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON PROGRAMMING, AND CURATED 23 EVENTS FEATURING 44 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD-HONORED AUTHORS, AND ENGAGING OVER 5,000 AUDIENCE MEMBERS. NBF ALSO INTRODUCED A NEW SCIENCE + LITERATURE PROGRAM, WHICH IDENTIFIES THREE BOOKS ANNUALLY TO DEEPEN READERS' UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY WITH A FOCUS ON WORK THAT HIGHLIGHTS THE DIVERSITY OF VOICES IN SCIENTIFIC WRITING. THE INAUGURAL SCIENCE + LITERATURE SELECTIONS IN FISCAL YEAR 2022 WERE THE KISSING BUG: A TRUE STORY OF A FAMILY, AN INSECT, AND A NATION'S NEGLECT OF A DEADLY DISEASE BY DAISY HERNNDEZ, THE RADIANT LIVES OF ANIMALS BY LINDA HOGAN, AND IN THE FIELD BY RACHEL PASTAN. EDUCATION AND ACCESSTHE NATIONAL BOOK FOUNDATION IS COMMITTED TO INSPIRING A LOVE OF READING AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE THROUGH EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS SUCH AS BOOKUP, A WRITER-LED, AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM FOR MIDDLE-SCHOOL STUDENTS IN FOUR US CITIES; BOOK RICH ENVIRONMENTS, WHICH IN FISCAL YEAR 2022 DISTRIBUTED CLOSE TO 200,000 FREE BOOKS TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES LIVING IN PUBLIC HOUSING AUTHORITIES IN 50 COMMUNITIES ACROSS 30 STATES AND WASHINGTON, DC; AND TEEN PRESS CONFERENCE, AN OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS IN NEW YORK CITY AND MIAMI TO HEAR FROM AND ASK QUESTIONS OF THE 2021 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALISTS IN YOUNG PEOPLE'S LITERATURE. LITERARY ARTS EMERGENCY FUNDWORKING WITH TWO OTHER LITERARY NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, THE ACADEMY OF AMERICAN POETS AND THE COMMUNITY OF LITERARY MAGAZINES AND PRESSES, AND WITH A GRANT FROM THE MELLON FOUNDATION, NBF LAUNCHED THE LITERARY ARTS EMERGENCY FUND (LAEF) IN THE SUMMER OF 2020. IN FISCAL YEAR 2022, LAEF CONTINUED ITS SUPPORT OF THE LITERARY FIELD AT LARGE BY HELPING DISTRIBUTE A COMBINED TOTAL OF $4.3MILLION ($1.7 MILLION DIRECTLY THROUGH NBF) VIA A SECOND ROUND OF COVID-19 RELIEF GRANTS TO 313 NONPROFIT LITERARY ORGANIZATIONS NATIONWIDE.