Tanita S. Davis has been nominated for a NAACP Image Award in the category Outstanding Literary Work--Youth/Teens for her book Mare's War. Does this mean she'll be at the televised awards ceremony? Are the winners for her category at least announced at the televised awards ceremony?
I love that Tanita says at her blog that finding out she was nominated was "beyond startling." Startling. I like that word, anyway, but I'm really enjoying it in this situation.
I think that the NAACP is a worthy old organization, and it's an honor to be nominated in such august company. That being said, had YOU ever heard of this award??? I had not.
ReplyDeleteBut, I HAD heard of the Image Awards. And all it made me think of was gold lamé and movie stars. And the occasional athelete.
LITERATURE should trump movie stars, athletes and gold lamé, any day. There is rarely TV coverage of the writers honored in this way (although Nikki Grimes won last year... Hm. Maybe she went? I should pay more attention to these things, apparently), but boy does everyone know who wore what on the red carpet. People talk, talk, talk about how there's so little quality literature for young people of color, and here's an organization with a serious chance to make a difference. I really hope that more people knowing about this award MAKES a difference.
I'm still totally beyond startled. You've got to understand Image does NOT equal Tanita. I'm a sweats and novel girl, not gold lamé. But I'm proud to get more people reading Mare's story, and learning a bit more about American history.
Reading about what people wear to the NAACP Image Awards is one of the things I'm trying not to do this year. But I'm very happy to hear they give awards for literature, and I'm happy to spread the word about it. And I wouldn't have known and thus spreading the word, if you hadn't been nominated. So good work!
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