My Name is Not Easy, by Debby Dahl Edwardson of Barrow (who posted here yesterday) was just named as a finalist for the National Book Award! Not sure if we have ever had an Alaskan prose finalist…
http://www.mediabistro.com/
Should be on the NBA site soon.
Congratulations, Debby – and thanks for placing us on the literary map, during Alaska Book Week, no less!
Congratulations, Debby! What a wonderful bit of news. Happy happy joy joy!
-Therese Harvey
Thanks, so much Therese and thanks for posting this. I cannot tell you how absolutely, totally, completely happy I am that this happened in the midst of our FIRST EVER Alaska Book Week. All my writer friends outside of Alaska are posting links to this site. HOORAY FOR ALASKAN BOOKS!
Congrats Debbie, can't wait to read more about this! Getting published is first and foremost, but to be a National Book Award finalist; big cudos!
Diane Rau
This is outstanding! Congrats Debby! We're so proud of you and thrilled to have this news shared here, and you're right, what wonderful timing with AK Book Week.
This is awesome news! Way to go, Debby. Between Joan Kane's Whiting Award, Kantner's mainstream success, John Haines in the NYT, and now this, hopefully everyone will get to know that fly-by-night Joe McGinnis is not the only Alaska author of consequence!
By the way, I was a student of Gary Schmidt's years ago, also a nominee. You're in great company!
Debby,
I hope you allowed yourself to imagine what it would be like to get this news—and that the reality is even sweeter. Congratulations!
Steve Kahn
Thanks, Steve. And don't we all imagine what it would be like and plan our speeches and all that? 🙂 None-the-less, since they called me on Monday, I have been barely able to breathe.
Gary Schmidt is an awesome writer. I am honored to be in his company.