National Book Critics Circle Annual Finalist Readings, March 16 2016
The National Book Critics Circle’s annual literary extravaganza began last night, a two-night affair I’ve attended every year since the early 2000s (and written about on this blog before). Last night 25 of the authors whose books are finalists for the awards in the six categories which will be given tonight read from their books. No admission charge for the readings or the awards tomorrow, NY’s best free literary program every year. There’s a post-awards benefit tomorrow night, the only part of the wordfest that carries a charge. I’ll be there again tonight. Glad I got good pictures in the darkened auditorium at The New School on West 12th St.
- Poet Ross Gay gave a great leadoff, w/a spirited performance of his poem.
- Poet Terrance Hayes
- Poet Ada Limon
- Blake biographer Leo Damrosch
- Wilkes Booth Biographer Terry Alford
- Mary Wollstonecraft Biographer Charlotte Gordon
- Custer Biographer TJ Stiles
- Biographer of Stalin’s daughter, Rosemary Sullivan
- Translator of Dietrich&Riefenstahl
- Memoirist Vivan Gornick
- Gornick’s reading, an account of a friendship, was my favorite last night
- Margo Jefferson
- Ari Berman
- Jill Leovy, w/whom I spoke after the program. She and Michael Connelly were newspaper colleagues in LA.
- Brian Siebert read a great passage on Bill “Bojangles” Robinson.
- Lauren Groff
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