MMC Welcomes National Book Critics Circle Finalists

The NBCC was founded in April 1974 at the Algonquin in New York City, with founding members John Leonard, Nona Balakian, and Ivan Sandrof intending to extend the Algonquin round table to a national conversation. The NBCC awards honor the best literature published in English in six categories: autobiography, biography, criticism, fiction, nonfiction and poetry. 

“The NBCC awards have from the beginning carried the cachet of being judged by the critics themselves,” said NBCC President Jane Ciabattari. “Unlike other literary prizes, the NBCC awards aren’t based solely on publisher submissions, or judged by a rotating panel of a few. The 24 board members nominate promising books themselves, with some input from NBCC members. (Publishers submit by sending books to all 24 board members.) Each year, thousands of books in six categories—autobiography, biography, criticism, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry—come up for consideration. This year’s 31 finalists will be winnowed down to winners announced March 10.” 

On March 8, Marymount Manhattan welcomes NBCC nonfiction and criticism finalists to participate in a reading and conversation with nonfiction chair Art Winslow and criticism chair John Reed. Featured guests include nonfiction finalists Siddhartha Mukherjee and Isabel Wilkerson, and NBCC criticism finalists Clare Cavanagh, Susie Linfield, Ander Monson and others. The event is free and open to the public. 

“This is the first time this event has come to Marymount Manhattan,” said Jerry Williams, Ph.D., associate professor of English, and host of the NBCC event. “This event brings the giants of the literary world. It’s compared to the National Book Award and the Pulitzer. It’s an opportunity to learn first-hand about some of the best writers and their work.” 

In addition to the event at Marymount Manhattan, the National Book Critics Circle has scheduled other events during its Awards Week including: 

NBCC Finalists in Conversation: 7 p.m., March 8 at the Elebash Recital Hall, The Graduate Center, CUNY, 365 Fifth Avenue (between 34th and 35th Streets). Free and open to the public. NBCC biography and autobiography finalists in conversation with biography chair Eric Banks and autobiography co chair Rigoberto Gonzalez. Guests include biography finalists Sarah Bakewell and Yunte Huang, autobiography finalists Kai Bird, Reiko Rehna Rizzuto, Darin Strauss and Patti Smith. Hosted by Brenda Wineapple. 

NBCC Finalists Reading: 6 p.m., March 9, at The New School, 66 West 12th Street. Free and open to the public. Guests include NBCC fiction finalists Jennifer Egan, Jonathan Franzen, and David Grossman; NBCC biography finalists Sarah Bakewell, Yunte Huang, and Thomas Powers; NBCC criticism finalists Clare Cavanagh, Susie Linfield, and Ander Monson; NBCC nonfiction finalists S.C. Gwynne, Siddhartha Mukherjee, and Isabel Wilkerson; NBCC autobiography finalists Kai Bird, Darin Strauss, Patti Smith, Rahna Reiko Rizzuto, poetry finalists Kathleen Graber, Anne Carson and Kay Ryan. 

NBCC Awards Ceremony: 6 p.m., March 10, at The New School, 66 West 12th Street. The awards ceremony is free and open to the public. The awards ceremony features William Gass introducing Sandrof Lifetime Achievement winner Dalkey Archive Press, Balakian winner Parul Sehgal, and the winners of the NBCC awards. An awards reception is scheduled at Lang Center, 55 West 13th Street, 2nd Floor. Tickets for the reception are $45 and can be purchased online at:http://bookcritics.org/calendar/events/national_book_critics_circle_awards_ceremony2/ 

To review the complete listing of NBCC finalists visit:http://bookcritics.org/blog/archive/for_immediate_release_the_national_book_critics_circle_finalists_for_2010_a/

Marymount Manhattan College is an urban, independent, liberal arts college. The mission of the College is to educate a socially and economically diverse student body by fostering intellectual achievement and personal growth and by providing opportunities for career development.

Published: February 23, 2011