The nine shiny objects were initially reported as nine pulsating lights viewed in the sky in newspaper accounts, UFOs if you wish, in a Chicago newspaper.
LeVar Burton Named Inaugural PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion By John Maher |
LeVar Burton, the actor and longtime host of
Reading Rainbow, has been named the inaugural PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion, a new annual commendation that will recognize devoted literary advocacy and a commitment to inspiring new generations of readers and writers, the PEN/Faulkner Foundation said in a release. Burton will be honored in a virtual celebration on May 10, when this year’s PEN/Faulkner Award winner its 40th will be announced.
“I come from a family for whom service to others is the highest possible calling,” Burton said. “Whatever efforts I have made toward advancing the cause of literacy, give honor to my mother, Erma Gene Christian, my first teacher and from whom I have inherited my love for books and reading. As we move forward out of a time when alternative facts and mendacious propaganda shaped public opinion, the work you do through the PEN/Faulkner Award, a
The other books to make the list:
“Bestiary” by K-Ming Chang
“Disappear Doppelgänger Disappear” by Matthew Salesses
“The Knockout Queen” by Rufi Thorpe
“Mother Daughter Widow Wife” by Robin Wasserman
“Nine Shiny Objects” by Brian Castleberry
“The Office of Historical Corrections” by Danielle Evans
“Scattered Lights” by Steve Wiegenstein
“Transcendent Kingdom” by Yaa Gyasi
“These extraordinary times have called forth extraordinary art,” said Louis Bayard, PEN/Faulkner’s Awards committee chair, “and the 10 titles chosen for our longlist are a powerful reminder that fiction is as essential as ever.”
This year’s judges Charles Finch, Bernice L. McFadden, and Alexi Zentner considered more than 400 novels and short story collections published in 2020. The judges will choose five finalists from the longlist in March, with the winner announced in April.
Bestiary by K-Ming Chang (One World), and
The prize “honors the best published works of fiction by American citizens in a calendar year.” This year’s judges are Charles Finch, Bernice L. McFadden, and Alexi Zentner.
Five finalists will be selected in March and the winner will be announced in April. The winner will receive $15,000 and finalists will each receive $5,000.
For more information, including the complete longlist, see the PEN/Faulkner website.
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Press release content from Business Wire. The AP news staff was not involved in its creation.
Blue Point Makes Platform Acquisition of Transtar in Local Partnership to Accelerate Data-Enabled Growth
January 22, 2021 GMT
CLEVELAND (BUSINESS WIRE) Jan 22, 2021
Blue Point Capital Partners (“Blue Point”) announced today the acquisition of its eighth Blue Point IV platform investment, Cleveland-based Transtar Holding Company (“Transtar” or the “Company”). Transtar is a global leader in the value-added distribution of original equipment and aftermarket automotive products for the transmission and driveline repair market. The local partnership with Blue Point will accelerate the Company’s growth through continued refinement of its industry-leading e-commerce technology, enhancement of supply chain efficiencies and execution of strategic add-on acquisitions.