Of you may know the Coleman Center with those preeminent scholars where they receive an office while they make their own work. So then gerald wrote the Coleman Center gave me the freedom to read that was nothing immediately clear to me to do with what i thought i was doing. One day i would read history of 19th century paris that i try to decipher the gothic script i kept reading wild things. In a new exhibition you will find add why pl the products of 34 writers and you will see the new and lasting book they made through their research displayed alongside some of those Collection Items that informed them including the 2016 novel alongside the 19 sixties era and that will stay up through june of next year. We welcome you on the occasion of the new collection of busted in new york. Where we have that questioning mind of recent history of the million man march to katrina to ferguson and always informed by the readers steeped in history and scholarship to bring centuries of the past on tod
Programs youll see today. You can check your Program Guide or visit our website booktv. Org who a full schedule. And joining harris is the author of this book information wars. We lost the global battle against this information and what we can do about it. Information about the u. S. To the world track is yes. In olden days during the cold war we used to say telling americas story to the world. And how did you do your job, its funny, took me a while to figure out the parameters of the job what are the things i came to the conclusion was the way we tell our story is will be to our store to ourselves with american media, newspapers, magazines, tv. Rather than produce content ourselves i used to do during the cold war i thought lets show people how they cover ourselves. That was one part of it. The other part was the more strictly Public Affairs things where people are standing in front and you have to have the government line. Its safe use of your stance on issues, heres our policy, make
[applause] the National Book awards are a huge part of that mission, and it is a thrill to be here with everyone tonight recognizing exceptional literature and increasing the visibility of books which are among the most powerful weapons we have against what has lately felt like an often hostile world. I think this past year has felt overwhelming and disheartening to many people. Its also felt exhausting for women, for people of color, for immigrants, for muslims, for the lgbtq community, for so many groups. To remain on the defensive in nearly every waking hour takes its toll. For some of us, books provide a welcome escape into someone elses world. For others they serve as a valuable resource for arming ourselves with indispensabling knowledge of history. But all books offer something we need so desperately right now; broadened perspective. Books allow us to view circumstances through the eyes of someone else. They cultivate empathy. They inspire action. They make us feel less alone an
Everyone to the 68 National Book award. [applause] like most people here tonight i have always been an avid reader and i come from a family of avid readers and i have birthed at least one avid reader, the jury is still out on the younger ones. As an only child and the daughter of two only children it wasnt uncommon in our house to find everyone in separate corners, each of us buried in a book. Huge nerds, you might have called us. Its a privilege to be in his room full of huge nerds. I feel right at home. My mothers father was a rare book dealer in chicago so the nerd gene goes back even farther in my family. One year there was a terrible fire and my grandfather store and the fire itself didnt reach the volume the fire hoses did. Water, water, everywhere. His whole inventory ruins and my grandfather felt he had no choice but to close up shop. My grandparents packed up and moved to the ozarks in the heart of missouri where my grandmother was from and they both were effectively retired a
Encouraging people to take their seat good evening, everyone. Im the new executive director of the center for biography, which is celebrating its tenth year now all data shall be white at the foundation, and i want to advertise first of all our new alliance with bio. This is the first jointly sponsored event with them but also courtesy of will swift of the president we are also going to be doing a cosponsoring of their great annual conference on biography next may that will also be happening here. I also want to advertise and put out the word we have a decembe december 15 deadline for the new annual fellowship and there are four fellowships given out every year for aspiring biographers, so if you know anyone, please encourage them to apply. And finally, i am just thrilled that we are able to do this event to honor bob and i introduce now will swift and we will take it from there. [applause] those of you that dont know it stands for the Biographers International organization and i want