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Percival Everett wins the National Book Award for his Huckleberry Finn-inspired epic “James.”

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NEW YORK (AP) – Percival Everett’s “James,” a daring reworking of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” won the National Book Award for fiction. The winner in the nonfiction category was “Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling” by Jason De León, while the finalists included Salman Rushdie’s memoir about his brutal stabbing in 2022, “The Knife.”

The youth literature prize was awarded Wednesday night to Shifa Saltaga Safadi’s coming-of-age story “Kareem Between,” and the poetry prize was awarded to Lena Khalaf Tuffah’s “Something About Living.” In the translation category, the winner was “Taiwan Travel Diary” by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, translated from Mandarin Chinese by Lin King.

Evaluation panels composed of writers, critics, booksellers and other representatives of the literary community chosen from lots of of submitted entries, and publishers nominated a complete of over 1,900 books. Each of the winners of the five competitive categories received $10,000.

Everett’s victory continues his remarkable development over the past few years. Little known to readers for many years, the 67-year-old was a finalist for the Booker and Pulitzer Prizes for such novels as “Trees” and “Dr. No” and the novel “Erasure” was adapted into the Oscar-nominated “American Fiction”.

Continuing Mark Twain’s classic about the wayward Southern boy, Huck, and the enslaved Jim, Everett tells the story from the latter’s perspective and highlights how in another way Jim acts and even speaks when whites usually are not around. The novel was a finalist for the Booker and won the Kirkus Prize for Fiction last month.

“James was well received,” Everett noted during his speech.

Demon Copperhead novelist Barbara Kingsolver and Black Classic Press publisher W. Paul Coates received Lifetime Achievement Medals from the National Book Foundation, which awards the awards.

Speakers praised diversity, disruption and autonomy, whether it was Taiwanese independence or immigrant rights in the US. The two winners, Safadi and Tuffaha, condemned the years-long war in Gaza and U.S. military support for Israel. Neither mentioned Israel by name, but each called the conflict “genocide” and were met with cheers – and more subdued reactions – after calling for support for the Palestinians.

Tuffaha, who’s Palestinian-American, dedicated her award partly to “all the incredibly beautiful Palestinians this world has lost, and all the wonderful ones who survive, waiting for us, waiting for us to wake up.”

Last yr, publisher Zibby Owens withdrew support for the awards after learning that the finalists planned to sentence the war in Gaza. This yr, the World Jewish Congress was amongst critics of Coates’ award, citing partly his reissue of the essay “The Jewish Onslaught,” which was called anti-Semitic.

National Book Foundation executive director Ruth Dickey said in a recent statement that Coates was being honored for his body of labor, not for any single book, and added that while the foundation condemns anti-Semitism and other types of bigotry, it also believes in free speech.

“Anyone who looks at the work of any publisher over the course of almost fifty years will find individual works or opinions with which they disagree or find offensive,” she added.

The National Book Awards took place way back in mid-November, shortly after the election, and supply an early glimpse of the book world’s response: hopeful in the wake of Barack Obama’s 2008 victory, when publisher and honorary winner Barney Rosset predicted a “new and uplifting program.” ; grim but determined in 2016, after Donald Trump’s first victory, when fiction winner Colson Whitehead urged viewers to “be kind to everyone, make art and fight power.”

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This yr, as lots of gathered for a dinner ceremony at Cipriani Wall Street in downtown Manhattan to have a good time the seventy fifth anniversary of the awards, the mood was certainly one of sobriety, determination and goodwill.

Host Kate McKinnon joked that she was hired because the National Book Foundation wanted “something fun and light to distract from the fact that the world is a bonfire.” Musical guest Jon Batiste led the crowd in a round of “When the Saints Go Marching In” and sang a couple of lines from “Hallelujah,” the Leonard Cohen standard that McKinnon somberly performed at the starting of the first “Saturday Night Live” after the 2016 election.

Kingsolver admitted that she feels “depressed at the moment”, but added that she has faced despair before. She compared truth and like to natural forces equivalent to gravity and the sun, that are at all times present whether you may see them or not. The screenwriter’s job is to assume “a better ending than the one we were given,” she said.

During Tuesday evening’s reading by the award finalists, some spoke of community and support. Everett began his turn by confessing that he really “needed this kind of inspiration after the last few weeks. In a way, we need each other. After warning that “hope just isn’t a technique,” he paused and said, “Never has a situation seemed so absurd, surreal and ridiculous.”

It took him a moment to understand that he wasn’t discussing current events, but fairly was reading James.

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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After second defeat for Model of the Year, Anok Yai tells British Fashion Council: ‘I don’t want it anymore’, sparking debate

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When Anok Yai was photographed in “The Yard” at Howard University’s 2017 homecoming ceremony, a fashion star was born. After agents began clamoring to find the identity of the then 19-year-old beauty and competing to sign her, Yai became a global sensation; inside the first six months of her profession, she became the first Sudanese model and the second black model, after Naomi Campbell, to open a Prada fashion show. In the seven years since then, covers and accolades have flown steadily, including her first American Vogue cover in 2020, which led to Yai being hailed as one of this generation’s “best.”New supers” — as in supermodels — via Models.com, who awarded her the title of “Model of the Year – Woman” in 2023.

Although Yai has enjoyed success on runways around the world, one accolade has eluded her, and now she says she now not wants it. On Monday as host of the British Fashion Council Fashion Awards 2024Yai was nominated again for the council’s Model of the Year award, her second nomination in as a few years. This is the second time Yai has been omitted from this honor, which recognizes “the global influence of a model who has dominated the industry over the past 12 months,” the organization explains. “With influence that extends beyond the runway, the Model of the Year has made an outstanding contribution to the industry, earning numerous editorial and advertising campaigns throughout the year.”

After losing in 2023 to Paloma Elsesser, the first full-size model to win the award, this 12 months the honor once more passed to Alex Consani, the first transgender winner in the award’s history. Heartily congratulating my friend and colleague from the industry on her groundbreaking achievement partially decided by audience votesYai didn’t hassle hiding her disappointment.

“Alex, I love you and I’m so proud of you,” she wrote X, early Tuesday morningadding: “British Fashion Council, thank you, but I don’t want it anymore.”

How Some she accused Yai of having sour grapes over her subsequent losses, others, etc Teen Vogue editor Aiyana Ishmael, they argue that the model’s disillusionment and self-defense should simply be considered a mirrored image of her humanity.

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“When we ask ourselves why we want Yai to accept her loss calmly, we must also ask ourselves if this is a response to society’s expectations for Black women,” Ishmael wrote, quoting writer and executive coach Janice Sutherland comment on stereotypes that deal with the “perceived strength and resilience” of Black women. “While these characteristics are undoubtedly empowering, they should not be used as a reason to deny Black women space to express vulnerability, pursue changing aspirations, or seek the support they need without judgment,” notes Sutherland.

“I remember in 2019 when a photographer called me a cockroach,” she said already deleted thread on X. Feeling unable to react while others on set treated the insult as a joke, Yai recalled feeling as if “I can not react the way I want because ultimately I’m young, I’m alone, I’m black… whatever I do , will impact me, my family and other black models.”

With this in mind, Yai’s disappointment at not being recognized for her achievements can simply be taken literally, relatively than interpreted as an try and undermine the achievements of Consani, the winner of Model of the Year. Yai said the same thing second postwriting: “If you saw the effort Alex put in; You’ll understand how proud I’m of her. But Alex may be proud and I may be exhausted at the same time. “It doesn’t diminish how much we love each other.”

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As a member of a marginalized community, Consani undoubtedly empathizes. Actually, she she used her acceptance speech on Monday night to thank “black trans women who have truly fought for the space I am in today” and to thank “Dominique Jackson, Connie Fleming, Aaron Rose Phillips and many others” for enabling her own rise in the industry.

“Now, more than ever, there needs to be an important conversation about how to truly support and uplift each other in this industry, especially those who have been treated as nonessential,” Consani continued. “Because change is more than possible, it is necessary.”

Change is slowly but surely happening, as evidenced by the strong black representation amongst this 12 months’s Fashion Award winners. Winning designers included Grace Wales Bonner (British menswear designer) and Priya Ahluwalia (New establishment menswear), while special awards went to A$AP Rocky (BFC cultural innovator) and Issa Rae (Pandora change leader). Photographer Tyler Mitchell also received recognition, winning the Isabella Blow Award for fashion creator.

As for Yai, she may now not seek approval from the British Fashion Council, but she need look no further than The Yard to search out it. The supermodel returned to the spot where she was found during Howard’s 2024 “Yardfest” Homecoming celebration, much to the delight of students in attendance.

“I’m a black trans woman and there’s not a lot of representation,” McKenzie Cooper-Moore, a junior marketing major and emerging model, told Howard’s newspaper: Hill. “She is one of the top models today, she is a black woman and she or he is uncompromisingly black. That’s really cool. I actually admire her.


This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Prince Harry downplays divorce rumors as he discusses the public’s fascination with his marriage to Meghan Markle

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Surprise – Meghan Markle and Prince Harry usually are not attached at the hip. Recently, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have made separate public appearances.

This week, Markle made a rare solo appearance at the Paley Honors fall gala in Los Angeles to support the godfather of the couple’s daughter, Princess Lilibet, Tyler Perry, who was honored that evening. Meanwhile, on the East Coast, Prince Harry appeared at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit 2024, where he spoke about his fascination with the society surrounding his relationship.

During the conversation, moderator Andrew Ross Sorkin asked Prince Harry how he deals with the constant attention on every thing he and his wife do, noting that articles about the couple’s separate appearances on each coasts have been circulating throughout the Internet.

“Is this normal for you? When the article comes out – she’s in California, you’re in New York – they say, “Well, what’s going on with these two, right?” In a way, is it good that he is so interested in you?” – Sorkin asked.

“No, this is certainly not a great thing. Apparently we now have bought or moved home 10 (or) 12 times. Apparently we have been divorced perhaps 10 (or) 12 times. So it’s just an issue of, “What?” – Prince Harry replied, laughing.

As the youngest child of Princess Diana and King Charles, the Duke of Sussex is not any stranger to life in the highlight. Having seen how the excessive media attention directly affected his mother and even played a task in her death in 1997, Prince Harry noticed how life in the public eye modified his relationship with the press.

“I have been experiencing something of life since I was a child. I have seen stories written about me that were not entirely based on reality. I saw stories about my family members, friends, strangers and all sorts of people,” he explained. “And I think when you grow up in that environment, you start to question the validity of the information, but also what other people think about it and how dangerous it can be over time.”

Ultimately, Prince Harry said he ignores false narratives online because he expects the media and social media trolls to twist and twist his words at any time.

I feel sorry for the trolls the most,” he continued. “Their hopes just get built and built they usually say, ‘Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,’ after which it doesn’t occur. That’s why I feel sorry for them. Really.

“The Duke and Duchess have now developed as individuals – not just as a couple,” a royal source explained. according to People magazine. “The Duke seems focused on his patronage work and the Duchess seems focused on her entrepreneurship.”

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry help Tyler Perry celebrate his birthday

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Nia Long and Larenz Tate Have the ‘Love Jones’ Reunion We’ve Been Waiting For, But There’s an Elephant in the Room

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Those of us who’ve been waiting to seek out out whether Nina Mosley and Darius Lovehall, the black and sexy leads of the 1997 cult romantic comedy “Love Jones,” ended up together will finally get our wish this holiday season. Leading actors Nia Long and Larenz Tate – still black and still hot, we’d add – teamed up for Walmart’s “Love Jones”-themed holiday ad, featuring variations Dionne Farris’ now iconic song “Hopeless” as the opening soundtrack.

In the Walmart Holiday x Love Jones spot titled “Give a Gift That Shows You Get It,” the gift-giving begins early when Nina (Nia) finds a Walmart box on the steps of her house and unwraps it to seek out a record player. Confirming that the gift is indeed from him, Darius (Larenz) repeats certainly one of his lines from the hit movie in which he asks, “Do you mind if I play something for you?”

Whether the poet Darius (Larenz) remains to be attempting to be “the blue in (Nina’s) left thigh… trying to become the funk in (her) right” stays unknown, but nostalgia hits when the two start dancing to the Isley Brothers classic: ” Stay in the groove with you, part 1.” To ensure this moment doesn’t go undocumented, a young woman, presumably the daughter of the fictional couple, appears at the door to capture the moment on camera, clearly taking a cue from her photographer mother, Nina. It’s an uplifting return to a black cinema classic that a lot of us would love to revisit in the era of sequels.

That said, the elephant in the otherwise romantic room is Walmart. The big-box retailer dampened a number of holiday spirit this yr with its post-election announcement that it was “phasing out” most of its DEI initiatives, which is essentially being interpreted as a preview of comparable industry policies to return under the incoming Trump administration. Among the now abandoned initiatives are a $100 million racial equity center launched in 2020 in response to the police killing of George Floyd, in addition to prioritizing 51% of BIPOC, LGBTQ, veterans and women products. – reported the Houston Herald..

“It’s after the DEI programs end that the marketing department will definitely (know) how to change the narrative,” commented one YouTube viewer. “This ad won’t let me forget that Walmart discontinued all DEI efforts,” one other commenter said.

Walmart clearly still sees value in attracting black consumers, as evidenced by the Gen X-friendly spot starring Tate and Long (notably, the spot was produced likely months before the election and subsequent DEI rollback). The company was sensible to think about our annual purchasing power it’s estimated to eclipse $1 trillion by 2030, in response to McKinsey & Co.

“Serving Black consumers can help brands better serve customers, especially as the country’s increasingly diverse demographics continue to grow,” said Shelley Stewart III, McKinsey senior partner and global leader for repute and engagement.

To that end, while many viewers welcome the return of Darius and Nina (some have even called for an official, if long overdue, sequel), the dichotomy between promotion and Walmart practice has not gone unnoticed.

“Walmart needs to rethink its DEI policies,” a YouTube commentator said. “We play it in our faces, using characters and actors we love!”

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This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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