NBCC Awards Submission Process and Contact List for 2013 Books
Each year the National Book Critics Circle selects awards in six categories: Fiction, General Nonfiction, Biography, Autobiography, Poetry, and Criticism. The board divides itself into committees for each category, which are responsible for nominating books to be considered in each category. Any title that is championed by a particular board member is placed on a master list for consideration by other board members. Based on those recommendations, the committee chairs will request copies of those books to be sent by publishers to the entire committee for group discussion.
This is a change from our previous policy of asking publishers to send books under consideration to the entire NBCC board. We hope it will make it easier for publishers, rather than having to send out 24 copies of every book. If, however, you have books in many categories and it would be easier to send the books to all the board members, feel free to do so.
From time to time, an NBCC board members may contact you to request a single copy of a book for consideration and evaluation. Please respond to such requests quickly, as it will give the board member time to evaluate the book and possibly advocate on its behalf.
Books published in English (including translations) in the United States with pub dates within 2013 will be considered. It is essential that the board receive the books as early in the year as possible to allow time to consider all titles. If you have been contacted to submit a title to the NBCC, please expedite the request as soon as possible so they can be part of the board's active, ongoing discussion. The absolute deadline for the 2013 awards is December 1, 2013. But please send requested titles as soon as you have stock available. Finalists will be announced in January 2014.
Publishers are welcome to bring books to the board's attention. If you feel there are books on your list that the NBCC board shouldn't miss, you should notify board members at your earliest convenience. A list of e-mails of directors can be found by clicking “Board” on the website menu above.
Committees
Board Members
Laurie Muchnick, NBCC President Bloomberg News(bio ») 731 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10022 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Laurie Muchnick is book editor at Bloomberg News. She’s also been the book editor of Newsday and an editor at the Village Voice Literary Supplement.She was elected president of the NBCC board in 2013.
David Biespiel, NBCC VP/Newswire
Director, Attic Institute
(bio ») 4232 SE Hawthorne Boulevard
Portland, Oregon 97215 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
David Biespiel is the author of a half dozen books, most recently The Book of Men and Women and Every Writer Has a Thousand Faces. He is a contributor to The New York Times, The Washington Post, Slate, Parnassus, Poetry, Kenyon Review, Sewanee Review, and The New Republic, and he is the former editor of Poetry Northwest. He has been honored with a Wallace Stegner Fellowship at Stanford University, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award, a Lannan Fellowship, and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Literature. In 1999, in Portland, Oregon, he founded the literary studio The Attic: A Haven for Writers. In 2003, he became the poetry columnist for The Oregonian. His column is the longest running newspaper column on poetry in the United States. Since 2008, he has been a regular contributor to Politico. His current term on the NBCC board ends in 2013.
Jane Ciabattari, NBCC VP/Online
Contributor, NPR.org, The Daily Beast, the Boston Globe
(bio ») 730 Lisbon Court
Rohnert Park, CA 94928 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Jane Ciabattari, who served as NBCC President from 2008 to 2011, is a regular contributor to NPR.org, The Daily Beast, and the Boston Globe. Her articles and book reviews have appeared in the New York Times Book Review, the Guardian, Bookforum, Salon.com, the Paris Review, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Chicago Tribune, Ms., Poets & Writers Magazine, among others. She is the author of Stealing the Fire (Canio’s Editions; 2013 e-book from Dzanc Books). She can be found on Twitter @janeciab. Her website is http://www.janeciabattari.com Her current term on the NBCC board ends in 2016.
Steven G. Kellman, NBCC VP/Membership
Freelance Critic
(bio ») 302 Fawn Drive
San Antonio, TX
78231-1519 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Steven G. Kellman was awarded the Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing in 2007. His work has appeared in a wide variety of publications including the Texas Observer, Chronicle of Higher Education, Huffingtonpost.com, Chicago Tribune, Review of Contemporary Fiction, the Believer, Bookforum, and Georgia Review. His books include Redemption: The Life of Henry Roth (Norton, 2005), The Translingual Imagination (Nebraska, 2000), Loving Reading: Erotics of the Text (Archon, 1985), and The Self-Begetting Novel (Columbia, 1980). Kellman is a professor of comparative literature at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He served two previous terms on the board of the NBCC, from 1996-2002. His current term runs until 2012.
Carolyn Kellogg, NBCC VP/Technology
LA Times
(bio ») Los Angeles Times, Books
202 W. First St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Carolyn Kellogg is staff writer at the L.A. Times where she writes reviews, features, covers the publishing industry and maintains the award-winning book blog, Jacket Copy. Her reviews have appeared in other publications, including Bookforum and the Columbia Journalism Review. She can be found on Twitter @paperhaus. Her current term on the NBCC board ends in 2016.
Karen Long, NBCC VP/Secretary
Freelance book critic
(bio ») 3114 Berkshire Rd.
Cleveland Heights, OH
44118 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Karen R. Long is the former book editor of the Cleveland The Plain Dealer. In 2002, the Associated Press named her the best feature writer in Ohio, and in 2006 she won the University of Missouri Lifestyle Journalism award for best magazine profile. She is the mother of three children.
Michael Miller, NBCC VP/Treasurer
Bookforum
(bio ») Bookforum
350 Seventh Avenue, 19th Fl
NY NY 10001
New York, NY 10001 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Michael Miller has held positions at the Village Voice Literary Supplement, Spin Magazine, and Time Out New York, where he was the literary editor and lead book critic from 2005 until 2010. He is currently an editor at Bookforum, where he commissions essays and reviews about fiction, poetry, and cultural criticism. He also co-edits the magazine’s website. His writing has appeared in The Village Voice, Time Out New York, Bookforum, the Believer, the Texas Observer, and Post Road. His term on the board ends in 2015.
Alex Abramovich (bio ») 1838 San Juan Avenue
Berkeley, CA, 94707 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Alex Abramovich has worked and/or written for The New Yorker, The London Review of Books, Bookforum, The New York Times and other publications. He lives in Oakland, California and Astoria, Queens.
Mark Athitakis
Freelance critic
(bio ») 6317 Jason St.
Cheverly, MD 20785 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Mark Athitakis’ reviews have appeared in the New York Times Book Review, Washington Post Book World, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, Kirkus Reviews, and numerous other publications. He is a contributor to The Salon.com Reader’s Guide to Contemporary Authors (2000), a co-writer of The Dumbest Moments in Business History: Useless Products, Ruinous Deals, Clueless Bosses, and Other Signs of Unintelligent Life in the Workplace (2004), and has spoken at events hosted by American Independent Writers, the Washington D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and the National Book Critics Circle. Since 2008 he has operated the literary blog American Fiction Notes (http://www.markathitakis.com), where he writes regularly on books, criticism, and publishing. His current term on the NBCC board ends in 2016.
Eric Banks
Freelance Writer/Critic
(bio ») 57 Grand Street
Apt. 4
Brooklyn, NY 11211 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
A Brooklyn-based writer and critic, Eric Banks is the former editor of Bookforum and senior editor of Artforum. His current term on the NBCC board ends in 2014.
Gregg Barrios
Freelance Writer/Critic
(bio ») 304 E Courtland Pl
San Antonio, TX 78212 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Gregg Barrios is a book critic, journalist and playwright. His reviews and features have appeared in the New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Newsday, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Texas Observer, LA Weekly, NPR and the Huffington Post. He is a former book editor of the San Antonio Express-News. He is the author of four books of poetry and is a published playwright. He is the recipient of a Ford Foundation Grant, a Sandra Cisneros - Macondo Foundation Grant, several NEH fellowships, and a CTG-Mark Taper Theater Fellowship. His term on the board ends in 2013.
Rigoberto González El Paso Times(bio ») 104-60 Queens Blvd #8-R
Forest Hills, NY 11375 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Rigoberto González, author of eight books and recipient of both Guggenheim and NEA grants, reviews for the El Paso Times twice a month and is currently teaching at the MFA writing program of Rutgers—Newark, the State University of New Jersey. His current term on the NBCC board ends in 2012.
Eric Liebetrau (bio ») 479 Old Carolina Court
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Eric Liebetrau is the managing editor and nonfiction editor of Kirkus Reviews. He also provides freelance editing services and contributes book reviews, music reviews and other literary and cultural features to a variety of publications including People, The New Yorker, the Boston Globe and Charleston City Paper.
Benjamin Moser (bio ») Postbus 366
3500 AJ Utrecht,
Netherlands .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Benjamin Moser is a Contributing Editor to Harper’s Magazine and a regular contributor to publications in the United States, Brazil, and the Netherlands. He has published translations from the Dutch, French, Spanish, and Portuguese and is the author of Why This World: A Biography of Clarice Lispector, a 2010 Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. His current term on the NBCC board ends in 2014.
Megan OGrady
Vogue Magazine
(bio ») Not currently available. .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Megan O’Grady is a Contributing Editor at Vogue Magazine, where she writes about books. She was the 2012 Arts and Culture Fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard. Her term on the board ends in 2015.
John Reed The Brooklyn Rail(bio ») John Reed c/o
P.O. Box 1526
Radio City Station
NY NY 10101-1526 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Published in Open City, Popmatters, Brooklyn Rail, Artnet, Artforum, Paper Magazine, New York Press, Time Out New York, BOMB Magazine, Art in America, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Playboy and many other venues; author of the novels, A STILL SMALL VOICE (Delacorte), THE WHOLE (MTV Books), the 2004 bestseller, SNOWBALL’S CHANCE (Roof), the play ALL THE WORLD’S A GRAVE: A NEW PLAY BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (Plume), and the recently released TALES OF WOE (MTV Press); MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University; faculty in Creative Writing at New School University and Columbia University. His term on the board ends in 2015.
Anne Trubek (bio ») 3276 Daleford Road
Shaker Heights, OH 44120 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Anne Trubek is the author of A Skeptic’s Guide To Writers’ Houses and Rust Belt Chic: The Cleveland Anthology. She has written and reviewed for numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Atlantic Monthly, the Los Angeles Review of Books, the Jewish Review of Books, Slate, Barnes & Noble Review and others. A professor at Oberlin College, her website is http://www.annetrubek.com
David L. Ulin LA Times(bio ») 1089 South Genesee Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90019 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
David L. Ulin is book critic, and former book editor, of the Los Angeles Times. He is the author, most recently, of “The Lost Art of Reading: Why Books Matter in a Distracted Time.” His current term on the NBCC board ends in 2014.
Marcela Valdes
Publishers Weekly
(bio ») 922 Jackson Street
Annapolis MD 21403 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Marcela Valdes received the Roger Shattuck Award for Criticism from the Center for Fiction in 2010. She is the book editor of The Washington Examiner and a contributing editor for Publishers Weekly. Her work also appears regularly in The Nation and The Washington Post, among other publications. In 2009-2010 she was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University. Her website is: http://www.marcelavaldes.com Her current term on the board ends in 2014.
Oscar Villalon (bio ») 3643 25th St.
San Francisco, CA 94110. .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Oscar Villalon is the managing editor at ZYZZYVA. The former book editor at the San Francisco Chronicle, his reviews and essays have appeared in VQR, Black Clock, the Believer, NPR.org, the Los Angeles Times, and the Rumpus.net, among other places. He and his family live in San Francisco. His current term on the board ends in 2014.
Eric Miles Williamson (bio ») 3913 Martin Avenue
McAllen, TX 78504
Eric Miles Williamson is author of three novels, three books of criticism, and a short story collection. His essays and reviews have appeared in The Washington Post, The Houston Chronicle, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, and many other venues. The French magazine, Transfuge, recently cited Williamson as one of the “Twelve Great Authors of the World.” He currently teaches at the University of Texas, Pan-American, a dozen miles north of the Rio Grande. His current term on the board ends in 2014.
David Biespiel, chair
Alex Abramovich
Gregg Barrios
Jane Ciabattari
Rigoberto Gonzalez
John Reed
David Ulin
Marcela Valdes
Oscar Villalon
Eric Williamson
Benjamin Moser, chair
Alex Abramovich
Eric Banks
Gregg Barrios
David Biespiel
Jane Ciabattari
Rigoberto Gonzalez
Steve Kellman
Karen Long
Michael Miller
Elizabeth Taylor
Marcela Valdes
Eric Williamson
David Ulin, chair
Alex Abramovich
Tom Beer
David Biespiel
Jane Ciabattari
Rigoberto Gonzalez
Carolyn Kellogg
Eric Liebetrau
Karen Long
Laurie Muchnick
Megan O’Grady
Elizabeth Taylor
Mark Athitakis, chair
Alex Abramovich
Colette Bancroft
Eric Banks
Tom Beer
David Biespiel
Jane Ciabattari
Steven Kellman
Carolyn Kellogg
Karen Long
Michael Miller
Laurie Muchnick
Megan O’Grady
John Reed
Elizabeth Taylor
Anne Trubek
David Ulin
Marcela Valdes
Eric Williamson
Eric Banks, chair
Alex Abramovich
Mark Athitakis
David Biespiel
Jane Ciabattari
Carolyn Kellogg
Benjamin Moser
John Reed
Elizabeth Taylor
Anne Trubek
David Ulin
Eric Williamson
Elizabeth Taylor, chair
Mark Athitakis
Alex Abramovich
Colette Bancroft
Eric Banks
David Biespiel
Rigoberto Gonzalez
Carolyn Kellogg
Eric Liebetrau
Karen Long
David Ulin
Eric Williamson