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PEN USA ANNOUNCES 2008 LITERARY AWARD WINNERS
November 07, 2008
Award winning writer Larry Gelbart set to receive Lifetime Achievement Award
Los Angeles (November 10, 2008) — PEN USA, the West Coast center for the renowned writers’ organization International PEN, has unveiled the winners of its prestigious 2008 Literary Awards competition. The prizes, announced by PEN USA Executive Director Adam Somers, honor outstanding work by writers in 10 separate genres. They will be presented at the 18th annual Literary Awards Festival gala dinner (LitFest), which will be held at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills on Wednesday, December 3, 2008.
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In addition to the literary prizes, PEN USA’s LitFest gala will feature several other honors. In a salute to the range of his accomplishments in multiple genres, award-winning television writer, screenwriter, playwright and author, Larry Gelbart, will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by award-winning writer and producer Aaron Sorkin (“The West Wing,” Charlie Wilson’s War, A Few Good Men). In a career lasting over 60 years, Gelbart is well-known for his Oscar nominated screenplays Tootsie and Oh, God!, as well as his book for the classic Broadway musical “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” and his role in the creation of the television series M*A*S*H. TNT and Michael Wright, Senior Vice President of Content Creation for TNT, TBS and TCM will receive the Award of Honor, given each year to a person, group or institution whose efforts have had a meaningful impact on writers in our culture. The award will be presented by Emmy nominee James Duff, creator, writer and executive producer of “The Closer,” in acknowledgement of the original programming aired by TNT shows such as “Saving Grace,” “The Closer” and this year’s “Raising the Bar.”
The evening’s First Amendment Award, given to men and women who have taken a stand on behalf of the right to free expression, even at possible risk to their careers, including the right to be fairly compensated for their work, will be presented to the Writers Guild of America, West. The award will be accepted by Patric M. Verrone, President of the WGA, West and John F. Bowman, WGA 2007-2008 Negotiating Committee Chair.
Serving as Master of Ceremonies for this year’s event will be Emmy-winning producer and political analyst Lawrence O’Donnell. Other special guests for this evening include John Lesher, President of Paramount Film Group, who will present the Screenplay award to Oscar nominee Paul Thomas Anderson.
Recipients of the literary awards were chosen by a distinguished panel of writers, editors and journalists. Winners were selected from among more than 500 entries. Each winner will receive a $1000 cash prize presented at the Literary Awards Gala. Past recipients of the Award of Honor and Lifetime Achievement Award include: Jeff Bezos, Robert Shaye, Otis Chandler, HBO, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Ray Bradbury, Walter Mosley, Jane Smiley, Kevin Starr, Gloria Steinem, Robert Towne, Gore Vidal, and Billy Wilder.
FULL LIST OF 2008 WINNERS:
Fiction DANIEL ALARCON • Lost City Radio (HarperCollins)
Creative Nonfiction JULIA WHITTY • The Fragile Edge (Houghton Mifflin Company)
Research Nonfiction WILLIAM T. VOLLMAN • Poor People (Harper Perennial)
Poetry JUAN FELIPE HERRERA • 187 Reasons Mexicanos Can’t Cross the Border (City Lights Publishers)
Children’s Literature RON KOERTGE • Strays (Candlewick Press)
Translation DONALD REVELL • A Season in Hell by Arthur Rimbaud (Omnidawn Publishing)
Journalism JESSE KATZ • “The Test of Their Lives” (Los Angeles Magazine)
Drama SHEM BITTERMAN • Harm’s Way (Circus Theatricals Foundation)
Teleplay TERENCE WINTER • The Sopranos: The Second Coming (HBO)
Screenplay PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON • There Will Be Blood (Paramount Vantage)
For further information contact Mann Productions (323) 314 – 7000.