75th National Book Awards Q & A
I went to the biggest night in books and now I'm answering all your questions about it.
I went to the frickin’ National Book Awards this week, wow, what the fuck?!?! I have wanted to attend for years and it finally happened.
Since I was lucky enough to attend, I feel a responsibility to bring all the hot gos your way. You asked me your most pressing, urgent, messy, questions about the festivities and I’m here to share.
One disclaimer, that room is HUGE I am just now finding out there were people there that I know that I didn’t even see. I’m spilling the beans but a lot of beans I did not see, also, I would like to get invited back…so you know, I gotta be semi-cool. Semi.
Let’s do this.
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Q: Nothing specific just want a general debrief.
A: I was invited to attend as a member of “the press” and sat in the press stable (my word, not theirs), off to the side with a bunch of real media outlets, and
(Small aside, it was really special to be able to share the night with two women I greatly admire who have been hustling, like I have, to carve out a space for themselves in the bookish landscape. Not to be too Paul Rudd meme about it, but there were a lot of “look at us” moments throughout the night.)
The minute you walk in the room is overwhelmingly huge and grand and it feels like an event. The ballroom is filled with at least 78 tables (I know this because a friend was assigned to table 78) each seating ten. But first there is a cocktail hour. So a lot of folks are there mingling, sizing folks up, grabbing drinks at the bar, catching up with old friends. I was very much on the mingle train. It felt like a reunion up top. Also, I could tell folks were getting a kick out of seeing their co-workers all dolled up. It was very warm and pure.
There was some anxiety/tension in the air. People seemed to be buzzing over when things would start, what the vibe would be like, who would win etc.
Then they told folks to sit down for dinner. The press goes to the stable and we had a hidden buffet (more on that later) while the official guests have assigned seats at one of the 75+ tables.
At 8pm sharp the show started with Jon Batiste who was great. He is such a showman.
Kate McKinnon hosted and was pitch perfect. The crowd was eating up her jokes, and then her pivot to a sincere moment about the authors bravery in reaching out to touch their readers was really nice. She fully nailed it and set the tone.
Then we got the lifetime achievement awards, one for Paul Coates the other for Barbara Kingsolver, both fantastic speeches.
Then Jon came back did a little medley, made us clap and stand up, really did his thing.
From there we went to the five awards. People seemed genuinely excited as each winner was called. Percival got the loudest applause, for sure.
The theme of the night was fantastic speeches.
Then we’re done with the show, the DJ starts up in the mezzanine, more guest come in, folks are dancing and drinking upstairs, downstairs there is more mingling and drinking. A time is had.
At 1pm they kicked everyone out. Lots of folks went to the after after party. I did not. I had a great night and getting home at about 2am felt good enough for me.
Oh, but before the night was done Sara and I grabbed a slice of not good overpriced pizza and a perfect can of diet coke.
Fin.
Those are the broad strokes now let’s get into the nitty gritty.
Q: What was your favorite part of the night?
A: I love to socialize so the cocktail party and the after party are for sure my fave. I got to meet so many fancies, and hang out with some of my faves like MJ Franklin from The New York Times. Plus at the after party a whole slew of fellow book lovers showed up. Folks like Lupita Aquino, Bernie Lombardi, and Hunter McClendon, so that was extra great.
That being said I thought the ceremony itself was actually amazing. I have watched every year since 2018 and this was by far and away the best. Every speech was actually good. No one wandering into random rambling land. There was so much tender emotion happening up on that stage. Just really pure stuff. Even I, can get into wholesome sometimes.
Q: Who was the most popular (everyone was trying to talk to them, etc.)
A: Percival had a full ring around him (I was one of those people) right after the awards trying to say hello. And Kaveh Akbar was surrounded pretty solidly during the cocktail hour.
Q: Who was shady about not winning?
A: I wish I could answer this more than any other question here. I was too far off to the side to see any faces of the nominees. I think next year the NBF needs to get cameras on everyone so I can see who was pissed. Now, if I had to bet on who I think would have been salty, all my money is on Salman Rushdie1.
Q: Details on the look and the glam.
A: The dress was a rental from Nuuly. I keep telling you guys I love Nuuly. The actual maker of the dress is Yumi Kim. The shoes were old from ASOS (I think). I did my own hair and makeup. Cree was my mirror telling me when to stop adding smoke to my smokey eye.
Q: Who made you the most starstruck?
A: Ok, so listen. On Monday night I got invited to a very cool party hosted by The Blacklist. There were some incredibly cool people2 there who I swooned over.
So as far as being starstruck, that happened more on Monday night for me, since a lot of the folks that I was hyped to meet on Monday were there on Wednesday. The first person who comes to mind here is J Wortham.
Of the people I only met at the main event on Wednesday, Gilbert Cruz3 and Priya Parker were major geek out moments. I also met Brittany Luse and she was as great as I had hoped.
There were also a few people I had met before, Mitchell Jackson and Kaveh Akbar, who I always stare longingly at because they are kind, tall, and incredibly talented, and it takes very little for me to fall in love.
Q: Biggest surprise?
A: I was thrilled and surprised in the best way when Jason De León won for his book Soldiers and Kings. He was so cool on the podcast and he gave such a fantastic speech. At the after party I got to meet him and told him how my DMs were blowing up because all of you were so excited about his win. He was very genuinely excited to hear that. He also said The Stacks was his favorite interview he has done for the book so far. It was all around a great surprise.
Q: Was Patrick [Radden Keefe] your boyfriend there?
A: I can’t believe only ONE of you asked this question. He was not at the National Book Awards, no.
But…he was at The Blacklist Party!!!
And I did fucking meet him and I did hug him and I did tell him how much I love the new adaptation of Say Nothing.
And guess what? He was so nice to me. He remembered recording the podcast with me in 2021 and that he was outside for that. He introduced me to someone and said I had a “great” podcast. He told me he was “so glad” I was loving the TV show. We talked about his next project.
Also, a few times as we were chatting4 friends would walk by to say hi. I would hug them and very chill like, whisper in their ear “I cannot talk to you right now because that is my boyfriend, Patrick Radden Keefe and I am speaking to him. I will find you later”.
Most importantly, I did tell him that I call him my boyfriend5 and he said, and I quote, “I love that”.
So you bet your ass I text Mr. Stacks to let him know that me and PRK go steady.
And, Sara, my dear friend, she is so kind to me she took photos of me being very enthusiastic with him. She is my only friend.
Q: I need to know what you and Cree got up to at the after party?
A: We got separated at the after party. Cree wanted to dance and I got caught up in a convo with some New York Times writers about the Best Books of the 21st Century list. Yes, I am still fired up about that list. Yes, I used last night to really share my thoughts with people who did not ask.
Q: Who got the drunkest?
A: Everyone! There were people (who I do not know but I wish I did) making out on the dance floor. There was a lot of slurring going on. Just assume, your faves were being weird, or they left early. There was no in between.
Q: Which writers have iconic fashion sense?
A: The best dressed for me were Mitchell Jackson, Randy Winston, Nafissa Thompson-Spires, J Wortham, Priya Parker, Yahdon Israel, and Justin Torres. Just swipe through Mitchell’s post, you’ll see he was looking flossy and a lot of the above mentioned folks are here, too.
Q: I noticed so many books on the tables. Were those table decor? Were they free for the taking? Were there souvenirs or swag for attendees?
A: Yes, folks do a pretty intense mad dash to snag books. I saw at least one lady with about 10 books. She actually took them to coat check so she could dance all night and not lose her stash, I respect the hustle. I didn’t see any souvenirs or goody-bags.
Q: For the love of god please reassure me that the white women of book tok were not present.
A: I do not really know the book tok scene. I know the Black lady everyone loves to hate, Kierra Lewis, was there at the Meta table. But I wouldn’t even know who I was looking out for. So maybe, but since you sound invested in the answer being now, I will say, no they were not there.
Q: When did the heels come off?
A: One thing you need to know about me, the heels are not coming off. I would rather have blisters than have bare feet in a public venue. Not going to happen.
Q: What made you roll your eyes with disgust?
A: People being unable to clap to the beat when Jon Batiste was doing his thing. “Oh When The Saints Go Marching In” is pretty easy to stay on rhythm for, and yet…
Q: I want to know (need to know?) how to get a ticket to this bookish affair!
A: The event is invite only. If you write a book that is a finalist you can come. That I know for sure. Also if you are a judge you can come. I was lucky enough to be invited as “press” but otherwise you gotta know someone who has a table. The tables are sponsored by donors to the NBF. Meta had a table, The New York Times has a table, I think many of the publishers have tables.
Q: Which fellow bookstagrammer were you most excited to meet?
A: I knew
Q: Did they have bookish themed cocktails?
A: I only saw one cocktail at the after party, and it was like a twist on a Negroni, or something nasty I would never drink. But they had a full open bar so I guess they wanted us to make it our own. I was drinking margaritas because I am chaotic good.
Q: Tell us about the food.
A: So in press area we had a buffet that standard banquet faire. We had mixed green salad, some saucy beef, steamed veggies, potatoes, and a baked penne with cheese (which was my fave). The real fancy people had something else, but I couldn’t see what it was. Food I guess. Also, at the end they were passing out cake, and I sure did stand up in the stable to get a kind server’s attention to get me some giant meringue topped cake (that was sorta just ok, and maybe a little too sweet even for me).
Q: What was the in-room response to the “political” speeches?
A: I have to say, every single speech last night was political, and overtly so. I think the crowd was excited for it, last year there was this anxiety around would people say anything? And for the most part it was a pretty a-political night6. Last night from the very first speech by Paul Coates, folks were going at the throat of colonialism, racism, sexism, Islamophobia, and of course, the genocide. At the after party many people who had attended multiple ceremonies said that was the best NBA they had ever been to. So, to answer your question, I think it played extremely well in the room.
Q: Was Ta-Nehisi Coates there (to celebrate his dad’s award)?
A: No.
Q: Who did you fan girl over the most?
A: I tried to play it cool but we did get to meet (and take a photo) with Percival Everett. So that was pretty fricking crazy.
Q: Did anything these writers say make you feel more hopeful about the next four years?
A: No. Not hopeful. I did feel inspired and honored to be in this room to witness these acts of condemnation. Hope, though, isn’t something that I was looking for. I think more than anything I felt a call to action. Especially within the work I already do. Percival Everett said it best in his speech; “And to tell the truth, I still feel pretty low. And as I look out at this, so much excitement about books, I have to say I do feel some hope, but it's important to remember that hope really is no substitute for strategy.”
Q: What were the moments that brought you to tears?
A: This is easy. I was the most moved by Walter Mosley declaring with so much sincerity that he loved Paul Coates, and Mr. Coates saying the same of Mr. Mosley.
Q: How was it to experience the Jon Batiste sing along in person? Fun, weird, both?
A: It was great. He did all the hits. He understood the assignment and he delivered. I think the addition of a musical guest also really livened up the night.
Q: Do you know why Tressie McMillan Cottom couldn’t/didn’t got?
A: I do not, and I would like to find out.
Q: Have you read Twaiwan Travelogue yet?
A: Nope. I have only read James and Soldiers and Kings of the winners.
Q: Which authors did you meet for the first time and did you book them for the podcast?
A: First time as in never met, not even virtually? Paige Lewis, Angela Flournoy, Jamila Minnicks, Jaleel White7 I did no booking of the podcast, but I did get some new ideas for what might shake things up in 2025. Stay tuned.
Q: Were any of your new enemies [billionairess book babes] there?
A: I didn’t see Jenna. Zibby was not there, nor was she a donor this year. She famously made last year’s awards all about her. I don’t think anyone missed her.
Q: Where was Percival’s table in relation to you? Who was he sitting with? Was Danzy there with him?
A: He was far from me in the middle of the room in front of the stage area. Danzy was not there. I didn’t see who he brought though. Rumor had it that he brought Cord Jefferson8.
Q: What was it like living our dream?
A: It was everything I had hoped it would be and more. It really was a dream and I was very much feeling like Cinderella at the ball. Like, when is this all going to fade away and these folks will realize I shouldn’t be here?
To be in a room with the people that have basically had a hand in every single thing I have read in the last 20 years is pretty incredible. It is not an honor I take lightly. In fact, it was one of the most validating moments in my enture life.
I am grateful beyond comprehension, and I only hope it is not my last time in that room.
If you want more of me and my nonsense be sure to listen to The Stacks podcast every Wednesday and follow me over on Instagram for a lot more book content. Make sure you’re subscribed right here, so you never miss an installment of Unstacked.
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This is a joke. Please, don’t tell him I said this.
For example I saw (but did not meet) Gayle King and Roxane Gay on Monday night.
Editor and Chief of the New York Times Book Review.
Very casually and not at all in a manic way, at least I was very casual as you know that I am. I can’t speak for Patrick.
Including in the newsletter that went out that very day.
There was a joint statement read at the end of the night that addressed Gaza.
Yes, Steve Urkel. And I met him on Monday at the party, not Wednesday at the awards.
Writer and director of American Fiction.
Longtime listener of your podcast, recently put 2 and 2 together and realized this was your Substack. First time commenter. Came here to say that this post right here felt so genuinely joyful and fun to read. I could feel your excitement and feel so grateful you did this write-up to bring us along and share the joy. Thank you, thank you!
Thank you for the behind the scenes highlights and gos. It sounds like such a special night and I'm so glad you were able to experience it with some other faves. Jjoke or not I firmly believe Rushdie was salty 😂😂 and need to know where Tressie was!