The NBCC is soliciting nominations from members for the 2011 Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award. Named after the first president of the NBCC, the award is given annually to a person (critic, writer, publisher, or editor, among others) or institution who/that has, over time, made significant contributions to book culture. Past winners have included Dalkey Archive Press, Joyce Carol Oates, PEN American Center, Pauline Kael, Studs Terkel, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Bill Henderson, John Leonard, Louis D. Rubin Jr., Jason Epstein, William Maxwell, Leslie A. Marchand, Robert Giroux, Alfred Kazin, Elizabeth Hardwick, and the Library of America.
As you can tell from the list, the award is truly ecumenical, seeking to recognize outstanding and long-standing work from any sector that affects a book and contributes to American arts and letters. Ivan Sandrof, a founder of the NBCC, retired as book editor of the Worcester Evening Gazette in 1978.
Please e-mail your nominations to Steven Kellman at membership@bookcritics.org. You must be a member of the NBCC to submit a name. Nominations will be accepted until November 30, 2011. The award will be announced publicly immediately following the NBCC board meeting on January 21, 2012.