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| Jason Reynolds at Winter Institute earlier this year. | |
Jason Reynolds, acclaimed author, two-time National Book Award finalist and current National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, will be master of ceremonies for the first exclusively digital National Book Awards on November 18. Winners in five categories will be announced, and lifetime achievement awards will be presented to Walter Mosley and the late Carolyn Reidy. Reynolds will also host the Teen Press Conference, in partnership with the Miami Book Fair, on November 16.
"The National Book Awards events are a continued commitment to literature and its power to transform readers' lives," said Lisa Lucas, executive director of the National Book Foundation. "Jason Reynolds embodies this commitment, and we are thrilled that he will host this year's celebration."
Reynolds commented: "To be at the forefront of ushering in the celebration of my peers would've been a gift at any point in my career. But to do so during this complicated time is nothing short of an honor."
A bestselling author, Reynolds's many books include Miles Morales: Spider Man; the Track series (Ghost, Patina, Sunny, Lu); Long Way Down, which received a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor and a Coretta Scott King Honor; and Look Both Ways, which was a National Book Award Finalist. His latest book, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, is a collaboration with Ibram X. Kendi. Reynolds is on the faculty at Lesley University, for the Writing for Young People MFA program.