National Book Awards Ceremony Highlights

At last night's National Book Awards Ceremony and Benefit Dinner at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City, one of the more optimistic themes of the night was expressed by nonfiction winner T.J. Stiles, who told the audience that "the book is alive and well in our digital age." Dave Eggers, who accepted the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community, went so far as to call this a "golden time for publishing."

Here's a look, in words and photos, at some of last night's highlights.

Phillip Hoose with the subject of his book, Claudette Colvin

Young People's Literature Winner: Phillip Hoose, Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice (FSG)
In his acceptance comments, Hoose thanked his wife, his publisher, his editor, Melanie Kroupa, and Colvin for her "willingness to tell her story." After the awards ceremony, Hoose told BTW: "I couldn't begin to be where I am without independent bookstores. They are the bread and butter, red blood cells, and subatomic particles of our trade!" (A few years back, Hoose spoke to BTW about his memoir, Perfect, Once Removed: When Baseball Was All the World to Me.)

Phillip Hoose, T.J. Stiles, Collum McCann, Keith Waldrop

Nonfiction Winner: T.J. Stiles, The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt (Knopf)
At the podium, Stiles thanked everyone involved in producing and promoting his book and books in general, from copy editors and graphic designers to book reviewers and indie bookstore owners. After the ceremony, he had even more to say about how critical independent booksellers are to the entire culture of the book. "The handful of books that generate national media attention are not enough to sustain the publishing industry and the written word," he told BTW. "Writers are discovered at independent bookstores. Even books like mine that receive national attention, only thrive and are sustained at independent bookstores."

Fiction winner Colum McCann

Fiction Winner: Colum McCann, Let the Great World Spin (Random House)
McCann told the audience that "stories are democracy" and our "purest form of engagement." He also commented on the role of authors -- "We have to enter the anonymous corners of human experience to make that little corner right." The Irish-born writer dedicated the award to the late Frank McCourt, who he hoped was "dancing upstairs."

Kevin Young, one of this year's judges, with Poetry winner Keith Waldrop

Poetry Winner: Keith Waldrop, Transcendental Studies: A Trilogy (University of California Press)
Waldrop spoke of the merit of the other finalists' works and said, "I hope the existence of this award would simply get people to read more poetry."

Before the ceremony, Young People's Literature finalist Deborah Heiligman (Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith, Henry Holt) talked to BTW about some of her favorite indie bookstores. When she lived in Pennsylvania, her favorites included Book Tenders in Doylestown and Farley's in New Hope, Pennsylvania, where her son had worked as a bookseller. Now that she lives in Manhattan,

Finalist Deborah Heiligman

her home store is Bank Street Bookstore. Heiligman celebrated Independent Bookstore Week in New York by doing a signing at Books of Wonder.

"The thing I love about independent bookstores is how much care goes into matching the right book with the right person," she said. "The handselling independent booksellers do is priceless, especially with children's books." Heiligman added, "I want to do everything I can to support independent bookstores." To do that, she said she would participate in Skype readings at indies. She can be reached via her website at www.deborahheiligman.com.

Finalist Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon (left) with poets Marie Howe and Mark Doty

Nonfiction finalist Adrienne Mayor (The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome's Deadliest Enemy, Princeton University Press) called her hometown indie, Kepler's, "wonderful." She told BTW, "There are lots of events, and it's very active. I head over there a lot." Mayor will also participate in indie events via Skype. She can be reached via e-mail.

Poetry finalist Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon (Open Interval, University of Pittsburgh Press) praised her local bookstore in Ithaca -- Buffalo Street Books. "They're fantastic. I support them as much as I can," she said. --Karen Schechner