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BookExpo Children’s Author Breakfast to Feature Viola Davis

Actress Viola Davis has joined the lineup for BookExpo’s Children’s Book & Author Breakfast on June 1, which brings together booklovers for a morning of lively conversation with some of the most prominent stars in children’s and young adult literature.

Davis, whose credits include the award-winning film The Help and the hit TV show How to Get Away With Murder, will discuss her upcoming children’s picture book, Corduroy Takes a Bow (Viking Books for Young Readers), which celebrates 50 years of the famous teddy bear.

As the final speaker, Davis will join previously announced authors Dave Eggers (What Can A Citizen Do?, Chronicle Books); Meg Medina (Merci Suarez Changes Gears, Candlewick); and Yuyi Morales (Dreamers, Neil Porter Books). The event will be hosted by National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Jacqueline Woodson. 

BookExpo will take place May 30–June 1 at the Javits Convention Center in New York City.

GLIBA and MIBA Issue Statement in Support of University Press of Kentucky

The Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association (GLIBA) and the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association (MIBA) issued a joint statement Tuesday in support of the University Press of Kentucky (UPK), which is at risk of having its funding cut at the behest of Kentucky’s governor, Publishers Weekly reported.

Governor Matt Blevin’s proposed state budget for the year, released in January, calls for $85 million in cuts, including cutting the press’ entire $672,000 allocation, which covers the salaries and benefits of seven of UPK’s 16 employees, a move that would force the press to close. UPK publishes and markets the lists for all of Kentucky’s state universities, five of its private colleges, and two regional historical societies and is known for Civil War history and cultural history titles, film and military studies, and regional titles.

Commission sales rep Bruce Joshua Miller of Miller Trade Marketing in Chicago initially reached out to the heads of both associations to issue the statement, which asks that “the authorities, the university, and/or the Kentucky legislature restore the funding of [UPK] immediately.” It also includes endorsements by two GLIBA booksellers: Michael Boggs, owner of Carmichael’s Bookstores in Louisville, and Nathan Montoya, owner of Village Lights Bookstore in Madison, Indiana.

2018 Audie Award Finalists for Book of the Year Announced

The Audio Publishers Association (APA) has announced the 2018 Audie Award finalists for Audiobook of the Year, which recognizes the audiobook that has had the most significant impact on the industry. The five competing titles are:

  • Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood, written and narrated by Trevor Noah (Audible Studios)
  • Columbus Day: Expeditionary Force, Book 1 by Craig Alanson, narrated by R.C. Bray (Podium Publishing)
  • The Handmaid’s Tale: Special Edition by Margaret Atwood and Valerie Martin, narrated by Claire Danes, Margaret Atwood, and a full cast (Audible Studios)
  • Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders, narrated by George Saunders, Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, and 163 others (Random House Audio)
  • The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness, written and narrated by Paula Poundstone (HighBridge Audio)

The winners of the Excellence Awards in Design, Marketing, and Production will be announced at the Audio Publishers Association Conference (APAC) on May 30 in New York. The winner of the Audiobook of the Year will be announced at the Audie Awards Gala on May 31 at the New-York Historical Society.

See all 2018 Audie nominees here.

2017 National Book Critics Circle Award Winners Announced

The winners of the 2017 National Book Critics Circle Awards, which honor outstanding writing and aim to foster a national conversation about reading, criticism, and literature, were announced at a ceremony on Thursday, March 15, at the New School in New York City.

This year’s winners are:

  • Fiction: Improvement by Joan Silber (Counterpoint)  
  • Nonfiction: The Evangelicals: The Struggle to Shape America by Frances FitzGerald (Simon & Schuster)
  • Poetry: Whereas by Layli Long Soldier (Graywolf)
  • Autobiography: Nine Continents: A Memoir In and Out of China by Xiaolu Guo (Grove)
  • Biography: Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser (Metropolitan Books)
  • Criticism: You Play the Girl: On Playboy Bunnies, Stepford Wives, Train Wrecks & Other Mixed Messages by Carina Chocano (Mariner)
  • John Leonard Prize (for an outstanding first book): Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado (Graywolf)
  • Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing: Charles Finch
  • Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award: John McPhee

The National Book Critics Circle is comprised of more than 700 critics and editors from leading newspapers, magazines, and online publications. The NBCC awards are open to any book published in the United States in English, including books in translation.