The National Book Foundation, presenter of the National Book Awards, will partner exclusively with The Daily Beast to announce its 2013 Longlists. The categories consist of 10 books each from the genres of Young People's Literature, Poetry, Nonfiction, and Fiction selected by a panel of expert judges. On Monday, September 16 at 9 a.m., the Longlist for Young People's Literature will be revealed exclusively at thedailybeast.com, followed by the Longlist for Poetry on Tuesday, September 17 at 9 a.m., the Longlist for Nonfiction on September 18, and finally, the Longlist for Fiction on September 19.
“We are delighted to partner with The Daily Beast to make the first Longlist announcement in National Book Awards history,” noted Foundation Chairman David Steinberger, CEO of Perseus Books Group. “Our goal is to expand the audience for these great books, and The Daily Beast’s outreach to readers around the world represents a giant step in our ability to do that.”
“We are thrilled to partner with such a venerable, dynamic institution as the National Book Awards to further the efforts of bringing first-class literature to a wider public,” said Tina Brown, editor in chief of The Daily Beast.
This is the first time the National Book Foundation will announce a Longlist for each National Book Awards category. The National Book Award Finalists will be announced on October 16, and the winners at a gala dinner and ceremony in New York on November 20.
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The National Book Foundation's mission is to celebrate the best of American literature, to expand its audience, and to enhance the cultural value of good writing in America. In addition to the National Book Awards, for which it is best known, the Foundation's programs include 5 Under 35, a celebration of emerging fiction writers selected by former National Book Award Finalists and Winners; the National Book Awards Teen Press Conference, an opportunity for New York City students to interview the current National Book Award Finalists in Young People's Literature; NBA on Campus, a partnership that brings current National Book Award authors to Concordia College in Moorhead, MN; the Innovations in Reading Prize, awarded to individuals and institutions that have developed innovative means of creating and sustaining a lifelong love of reading; and BookUp, a writer-led, after-school reading club for middle- and high-school students, run in New York City and Bryan, Texas.
The National Book Award is one of the nation's most prestigious literary prizes and has a stellar record of identifying and rewarding quality writing. In 1950, William Carlos Williams was the first Winner in Poetry, the following year William Faulkner was honored in Fiction, and so on through the years. Many previous Winners of a National Book Award are now firmly established in the canon of American literature, such as Sherman Alexie, Louise Erdrich, Jonathan Franzen, Denis Johnson, Joyce Carol Oates, and Adrienne Rich.
The Daily Beast was founded in 2008 as the vision of Tina Brown and IAC Chairman Barry Diller. Curated to avoid information overload, the site is dedicated to breaking news and sharp commentary. Tina Brown, former editor of Tatler, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker & Talk, author of the 2007 NY Times best-seller The Diana Chronicles and founder of the annual Women in the World summit, serves as editor-in-chief of the site. The Daily Beast regularly attracts over 16 million unique online visitors a month and is the winner of two consecutive Webby awards for ‘best news’ site and the 2012 National Magazine Award for best online section for Book Beast.