The 70th Annual National Book Awards Was a Surprisingly Boisterous Night

At the 70th annual National Book Awards, produced by the National Book Foundation, the evening’s nominated books served as centerpieces on the tables that filled the room.

Though the floral arrangements were romantic and the Champagne flutes were bubbling, guests couldn’t help but focus on the collection of stunning hardcovers at their tables, flipping through them between sips and bites. Attendees were so enthralled by the environment, that the night’s host, Reading Rainbow and Star Trek alum LeVar Burton, even had to shush the crowd that stretched across Cipriani Wall Street’s ballroom.

“Literature is the birthright of all of us,” Burton said in his opening remarks, as guests settled in for the main event. “Literature and its place in civilization is unparalleled. It is the stories that we tell each other that define who we are, why we’re here, what our mission is in life. It is the storytelling that holds our civilization together.” He spoke to a crowd so receptive and lively, it was easy to forget that it was a serious, bookish group and not an audience in a comedy cellar.

In a floral suit and a chartreuse tie, the mustached director and writer John Waters came on stage to present Edmund White a Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. “This award comes with a $10k prize, and you know he’s gonna spend it on books!” Waters said of White’s post-award plans, in a spitfire speech that had the whole room humming with laugher. White’s acceptance speech featured zingers like “Writers like to complain about how hard it is to write, maybe it’s because they feel bad about not having a job,” a sentiment shared by many writers in the audience.

National Book Foundation Executive Director Lisa Lucas and Chairman of the Board David Steinberger then took to the stage; Lucas exclaimed that “so much has changed in the literary awards over the last 70 years, but the awards have always stood for excellence.” The difference now, Lucas pridefully shared, was that “what once was exclusive is now inclusive. We celebrate lots of potential to transform readers’ lives.” The transformative and progressive nature of books was a theme that many would return to throughout the night’s programming.

Finally, the winners were announced, but not without wise and clever remarks from judges in each category. Taking home the prize for Young People’s Literature was Martin W. Sandler’s 1919: The Year That Changed America; for Translated Literature, Baron Wenckheim’s Homecoming, by László Krasznahorkai and translator Ottilie Mulzet; for Poetry, Arthur Sze’s Sight Lines; for Nonfiction, Sarah M. Broom’s The Yellow House; and the Fiction prize was awarded to Susan Choi’s Trust Exercise.

George Michael’s “Freedom” played to close out the ceremony, a not-so-subtle nod to the celebration of freedom of speech. Guests in peak celebration mode congratulated winners and nominees, replenished their drinks, and made their way to the after-party upstairs. Within minutes, the dance floor was covered by a joyful wave of party-goers, not held back by their black-tie attire, cutting the rug into the wee hours of the night, proving that even the literati know how to get down.