Shine On!

There is an explosion of support for Lauren Myracle, and her YA novel Shine after the National Book Foundation blundered its announcement that the book was a nominee in the Young People's Literature category. Having to renounce the recognition that being nominated for a National Book Award brings, Myracle seems to be garnering more attention from the press, and social media, than any books that still remain on the finalist list.

It will be interesting to see how many copies of Shine sell in this momentous surge in support of her novel, which deals with underrepresented themes in award-winning YA literature: gay hate crimes.

It brings to mind something the poet Crystal Williams said at a reading I attended last year, about how National Book Award winners tended to be overrepresented in the category of straight, white, male.

Perhaps they really are a little out of touch? This cannot be helping the general assumption that the NBF is part of the 'old' book publishing industry. Although the 'new' is still being defined (which is why I love being a book publishing student!), it seems the power of the people may outweigh a logo on the book (although the money that comes with the award is pretty sweet...)

I admit, as someone who does not read a lot of YA literature, I have been hearing a lot about the book and am tempted to go and buy a copy. From an independent bookstore of course! ;)

What I think is awesome is that due to this error, the NBF is donating $5000 to the Matthew Shepard Foundation, named in honor of a young boy murdered because he was gay. Raising the awareness of this issue seems to be the legacy of Shine, National Book Award or not.

Right on Lauren Myracle!







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National Book Award finalists 2011

Think Out Loud, a program on my local  public radio station OPB just announced, live, the 2011 National Book Award finalists.

This was exciting for me, as a publishing student, to see Portland chosen as the site for this, considering the NBA is very much steeped in that tradition of New York City publishing.

After attending Wordstock this past weekend, a zine reading at a local library last night, and looking at our Mayor's declaration that October 12th is National Books Awards Day,  I am just overwhelmed at the book-lovingness of this city. It's like I am living in a perfect alternate reality! ;)

What is so great, to me, about Portland writing and publishing is that we really, really, emphasize the importance of independent presses and publishing. We poked some fun of the New York publishing scene (Think Out Loud host David Miller laughing about expensive lunches to judge the NBA finalists, but with affectionate jest, and possible with a little envy!) and it's traditions. It's not like there is a need to obliterate, disrespect, or bring it down, I just feel that there is an acknowledgement that we need to return to the roots of writing and publishing, putting literary connection first, not corporate disconnection...

One of the judges noted how who published a book doesn't really enter into the equation anymore because independent presses have the access to make a book look as beautiful as one of the bigger houses'.

That being said, Right On to Graywolf Press for their nonfiction nomination, and Lookout Books for their nomination in fiction. Their respective tweets were 'HOLY CRAP' and 'OH DEAR GOD'.

(Sorry if I missed any other independent presses who received nominations for books they published... I haven't even made it out of bed yet!)

UPDATE10/21: Thanks to those who pointed out Bellevue Literary Press are another independent press with a book up for nomination: The Sojourn by Andrew Krivak in the fiction category. BLP are the publishers of Tinkers which had an initial print run of 2000 and won a Pulitzer Prize in 2010, much to the shock of some. :)