Troy

I've uploaded 11 of the 20 finalists readings. I posted my favorite four reading on my blog.

I watched Tyson's Undisputed Truth on HBO the other night. I did not find it entertaining, in fact I could not finish watching it. The anecdotes were not funny to me. The stories were rather tragic and sad. I know Mike is getting paid and that is great, but It seems like Iron Mike is being exploited and I don't particularly care for that.

Ishmael Reed wrote this article in today's Wall Street Journal Much of the article deals with the importance of the American Book Awards (ABA) in contrast to the National Book Awards (NBA). Reed describes the American Book Awards as more inclusive. The early days of the 34-year-old award as follows: "We held our first awards ceremony at The West Side Community Center through the arrangement of poet and Miles Davis biographer Quincy Troupe. Among that first group of winners, in nineteen eighty, was the late poet Jayne Cortez. Joseph Papp, director of the Public Theater, sponsored the second annual awards.The event was hosted by Troupe. Among the presenters were Donald Barthelme and Toni Morrison, a future ABA winner(1988). Among those in the audience was former New Jersey poet laureate Amiri Baraka,who would also receive an award from us in 1984. Famed South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela, and the late hoofer, Howard “Sandman” Sims were among those who provided the entertainment." That sounds great. But the ABA current winners does not seem to reflect the same level of inclusiveness. In fact, one might argue with the NBA having Toni Morrison present Maya Angelou with an award and giving James McBride top honors in the fiction category that there may have even been a reversal in terms of inclusiveness -- at least as far as Black folks are concerned. In either case it is not clear to me at either affair serves the Black community significantly on any level. I'm not blaming the organizers of either event. The issue is complex. The American Book Awards were be held as part of the Miami Book Fair International (an event I would love to attend one day). The 2013 American Book Award Winners: Will Alexander, Singing In Magnetic Hoofbeat: Essays, Prose, Texts, Interviews, and a Lecture, Essay Press Philip P. Choy, San Francisco Chinatown: A Guide To Its History & Architecture, City Lights Amanda Coplin, The Orchardist, Harper Collins Natalie Diaz, When My Brother Was An Aztec, Copper Canyon Press Louise Erdrich, The Round House, Harper Collins Alan Gilbert, Black Patriots and Loyalists: Fighting for Emancipation in the War for Independence, University of Chicago Judy Grahn, A Simple Revolution: The Making of an Activist Poet, Aunt Lute Books Joy Harjo, Crazy Brave: A Memoir, W.W. Norton & Co. Demetria Martinez, The Block Captain’s Daughter, University of Oklahoma Press Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore, Blood Songs, The Ecstatic Exchange D. G. Nanouk Okpik, Corpse Whale, University of Arizona Press Seth Rosenfeld, Subversives: The FBI’s War On Student Radical and Reagan’s Rise to Power, Farrar, Strauss & Giroux Christopher B. Teuton, Cherokee Stories of the Turtle Island Liar’s Club, University of North Carolina Lew Welch, Ring of Bone: Collected Poems, City Lights Lifetime Achievement: Ivan Argüelles Greil Marcus Floyd Salas More About the American Book Awards The American Book Awards Program respects and honors excellence in American literature without restriction or bias with regard to race, sex, creed, cultural origin, size of press or ad budget, or even genre. There would be no requirements, restrictions, limitations, or second places. There would be no categories (i.e., no “best” novel or only one “best” of anything). The winners would not selected by any set quota for diversity (nor would “mainstream white anglo male” authors be excluded), because diversity happens naturally. Finally, there would be no losers, only winners. The only criteria would be outstanding contribution to American literature in the opinion of the judges.

The latest African American Literature Book Club newsletter is out - full of book reviews, author profiles, film reviews, interviews and more. Read it and share it.

How the government could screw up the website is almost bewildering. Clearly they were aware that the opposition was looking for any excuse to call affordable health care a failure. But I guess all the good developers are working for Amazon and Google. One thing I truly wish the government would get through their thick skulls is that everyone does not have a desktop computer with a high speed connection to the internet at home. They make it sound so easy, but for MANY people their only access to the internet is through their cell phone. A lot of people don't have, or even want, an email address. The task of doing everything from looking for work, applying to college, paying taxes, and signing up for health care is very difficult for a great many people. Of course Black people are most effected. So unless this website system is fast, super intuitive and easily accessible from any computer (a friend's, the library's), people will have difficulty. Needless to say the people without a health insurance are the ones most likely to have challenges accessing and using the website. I just visited the site https://www.healthcare.gov/ for the first time and it is down for maintenance. Since I'm in New York the system directed me to NY State's website. It too is down due to maintenance until at least 8AM. Both system say you can apply via phone -- I can't image that would be much better, for I presume the person on the other end of the line has to use the same system. ...and that does not even address the data integrity problems, people who were forced lose existing plans. In New York many of the best hospitals, like Memorial Sloan-Kettering, won't accept any of the plans offered. Universal healthcare is a good idea. It would seem like the US with all its resources could figure it out and get it done. The same country that can get a billion people on a social media site and put a Buick on Mars can't figure out how to take care of it's population. Obama promised a great deal with his message of "hope and change." Sadly the people -- save Obama’s black constituency who apparently are happy just to have a Black family in the White House -- expected even more. We got the change, but it was not what we hoped for...

Here are all of my videos from the National Book Awards events: http://aalbc.it/nbaward

It was a good night. But I'm beat... it has been a busy week.

Scientists are not very... well... scientific. And what?

Well I was correct that one of the three books listed above would win. They are from three different categories so I was not playing the odds, just the subscribing to the notion that something "Black" had to win.... Cynical huh, maybe.

Well James McBride wins the 2013 National Book Award for Fiction!

There were 407 submissions for the Fiction category. It was announced many were not very good. The "business of giving literary awards leaves out books that are equally deserving" Again, I like Rachel and James is my brother.... the winner is James McBride!

Winner of the National Book Award for Nonfiction goes to George Packer. I liked Alan's book, but you can not go wrong in this category :-)

Nikky Finney Announces winner for Poetry: Mary Szybist. Her book is INCARNADINE Her speech was poetic (she was prepared) smart. Video coming I have an interesting conversation with Nikky after the affair. I told her, as everyone else has how great her acceptance speech was in 2011. She told me the main thing she wanted to do was not use the words "Thank You" -- that was too easy (see acceptance speech here). And she wanted to pay homeage to our ancestors. We also recognized how the poets give the best acceptance speeches.

Cynthia Kadohata wins award for Young People's literature for THE THING ABOUT LUCK.

Ms Morrison took a photo with me :-) Actually someone told me this was a "selfie," presumably a photo one takes of themselves -- which it is. L.A. Times Books ‏@latimesbooks launched the Hash Tag #nobelselfie

E.L. Doctorow, recipient of the medal for distinguished contribution to American Letters, description of the impact of the internet is worth the price of admission

Maya Angelou accepts her award with grace. Like a fine wine she really gets better with age (like my friend Cynique). I'll load video tomorrow (left the laptop at home!@&)

Kicking off the event Toni Morrison presents Maya Angelou with the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community!

Well I'm 40 deep in the press pool at perhaps the planet's premier book event. The food is good and I have a clear shot to the stage. So I can't complain. ...well actually I can, but I'll do that latter ;-) Calvin Reid, from Publishers Weekly was in the press pool with me.

There is Alan Taylor reads from his book, The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832. He is one of my handicapped favorites to win a National Book Award. I will post more of my favorite readings here over the next few days. Our Brother James McBride has some stiff competition in the Fiction category. I'm liking Rachel Kushner's The Flamethrowers. I'll post a video of her reading from that book, as well as video from other readings I enjoyed.

Christians are often not very... well... Christian.

Pioneer how would you definite "race" for the purpose civil rights benefits? Would a mulatto like Obama qualify? Would an octaroon (just one Black great-grand parent out of 8) like Homer Plessy qualify?

Rev. Al has done exceedingly well for himself. He is quick witted and can turn a phase. It comes naturally to him and he has been doing it for 50 years and the talking points have not changed. The size of the audience often does not the reflect the importance of what the speaker has to say. I'd rather be healthy and "look good" fat. Though, in Sharpton's case he does look almost sickly. Pioneer why specifically do you praise Al Sharpton so highly. There are many articulate and quick witted people.

Zimbabwean novelist NoViolet BulaWayo reading during the National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 book celebration November 19th 2013:

...or you could be hearing things Ma.