Last night I was following some NBA games, but there was also the more scholarly, less prestigious NBA going on as well–the National Book Awards. Most of the books nominated, I've never heard of, but Patti Smith (yes, that Patti Smith of punk rock fame) won an award for her memoir about her life and relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe.
It was kind of a shock that she was nominated, maybe more so of one that she won–though I probably wouldn't be writing about it if she hadn't… therefore, they get some press from me and some other people.
The fiction award winner, Jaimy Gordon, just had her book come out, about a horse track in West Virginia, which actually sounded kind of interesting.
A full list of nominees and winners are over at Jacket Copy.
