BTW News Briefs

PEN to Honor Charlie Hebdo Staff, Penguin Random House CEO, and Tom Stoppard

Defenders on the frontlines of the fight for free expression will be honored at the annual PEN American Center Literary Gala on May 5 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. On March 25, the organization said that Penguin Random House CEO Markus Dohle will be honored “for his leadership role in the global literary community.”

Playwright Tom Stoppard will receive the PEN/Allen Foundation Literary Service Award, PEN’s highest accolade.

And in their first New York appearance since the January 7 terrorist attacks on their Paris offices, the staff of French satirical weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo will receive the PEN/Toni and James C. Goodale Freedom of Expression Courage Award.

The 2015 PEN Literary Gala coincides with the organization’s 11th annual PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature, which will be held from May 4–10. Booksellers and their customers are invited to take advantage of PEN member discounts on tickets for a wide range of festival events, including debates, one-on-one conversations, and workshops in venues throughout the city.

James Beard Foundation Announces Book Award Nominees

The James Beard Foundation announced its 2015 book award nominations in 12 categories on March 24. Winners will be announced April 24, along with the Cookbook of the Year Award and this year’s Cookbook Hall of Fame inductee. 

Established in 1990, the James Beard Awards “recognize culinary professionals for excellence and achievement in their fields and further the Foundation’s mission to celebrate, nurture, and honor America’s diverse culinary heritage through programs that educate and inspire.”

The nominees in all 59 awards categories were announced at a breakfast at the James Beard House in New York City. Non-book related nominees included those for awards for Broadcast Media, Journalism, Best Restaurant, Best Chef, and Restaurant Design.

Diversity, Free Speech Discussed at Annual Meeting of Association of American Publishers

“Diversity and Free Speech” was one of the topics discussed at the Association of American Publishers’ (AAP) Annual Meeting, where American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE) Director Chris Finan led a Q&A with Dr. Irshad Manji, an NYU professor, New York Times bestselling author, and founder of The Moral Courage Project, and Dr. Cornel West, professor at the Union Theological Seminary and author of the new book Black Prophetic Fire (Beacon Press).

During the March 18 program at Scholastic’s headquarters in New York City, the two professors discussed their views on content creators’ evolving roles, freedom of expression and diversity of opinion, and cultural history in school and higher education. Other themed programs that day included “The Future Use of Research Data in Academic & Professional Markets” with G. Sayeed Choudhury; “The Internet Is Not the Answer” with Andrew Keen; and “Authors & Publishers in a Democratic Society” with David Brooks.

Winners of 2015 Pinckley Prize for Crime Fiction Announced

Authors Nevada Barr and Adrianne Harun are the recipients of the Pinckley Prizes for Crime Fiction, named to honor the memory of Diana Pinckley, a longtime crime fiction columnist for the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

The prizes were presented March 26 at the 29th annual Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival by the Women’s National Book Association of New Orleans, of which Pinckley was a founding member.

Barr, bestselling author of 22 books and creator of the Anna Pigeon mystery series, won the Pinckley Prize for a Distinguished Body of Work, while Harun took home the Pinckley Prize for a Debut Novel, for her book A Man Came Out of a Door in the Mountain (Penguin Books). Barr, who is from New Orleans, and Harun, of Washington State, each received a $2,500 award.

Submissions for the 2016 prizes opened on April 1.

Ingram Publisher Services Adds Five New Clients

Ingram Publisher Services has announced the addition of Adaptive Studios, Cahiers d'Art, Edgy Reads, Elevate Publishing, and Mango Media to its list of publisher clients.

Ingram Publisher Services will be providing sales and distribution in the U.S. and Canada for Adaptive Studios, a film company and its associated publishing house; crime writer CJ Lyons’ publishing company Edgy Reads; Elevate Publishing, a publisher of  business and faith-based general interest titles; and Mango Media, a publisher of innovative books and e-books. Ingram will also support these companies by providing integrated P+E solutions through its digital asset management and print-on-demand platforms.

For established visual arts publishing house Cahiers d’Art, Ingram Publisher Services will now be providing U.S. and Canadian distribution services.