The 14th National Book Awards at Concordia will be held March 14-15, 2019.
More information on the visiting authors and associated events will be available in December 2018.
Concordia College is the founding partners with the National Book Foundation of the National Book Awards on Campus Program.
Beginning in the 2005-06 academic year, Concordia has invited National Book Award finalists and winners for a two-day residence on campus.
John Ydstie is the hosts for the evening Readings and Conversation event. A National Public Radio correspondent and host, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Concordia College, summa cum laude, with a major in English literature and a minor in speech communication. He has covered the economy, Wall Street, and the federal budget for NPR for two decades. Ydstie is also a regular guest host on NPR news programs.
Lisa Lucas is the executive director of the National Book Foundation. Before joining the Foundation, Lucas served the publisher of “Guernica,” a non-profit online magazine focusing on writing that explores the intersection of art and politics with an international and diverse focus. Prior to that, she served as director of education at the Tribeca Film Institute, on the development team at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and as a consultant for the Sundance Institute, San Francisco Film Society, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and ReelWorks Teen Filmmaking. Lucas also serves on the literary council of the Brooklyn Book Festival.