National Book Awards at Concordia

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Dedicated to the celebration of the best literature in America.

Concordia College is the founding partner with the National Book Foundation of the National Book Awards on Campus Program. Each spring Concordia hosts two authors, selected from among the finalists/winners of that year’s National Book Awards, for a two-day residency on campus. The mission of the National Book Foundation is to celebrate the best literature in America, expand its audience, and ensure that books have a prominent place in American culture.

2021 National Book Awards Readings and Conversation

7:30 p.m. CST | Thursday, March 11

The National Books Awards at Concordia virtual author-in-residence program will feature 2019 and 2020 National Book Awards finalists in a Readings and Conversation event at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 11.

John Ydstie ’74, a member of Concordia’s Board of Regents, will host the Readings and Conversation event.

Victoria Jamieson

Victoria Jamieson is the creator of the graphic novels "All's Faire in Middle School" and "Roller Girl," which received a Newbery Honor. She received her BFA in illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design and worked as a children's book designer before becoming a freelance illustrator.

Omar Mohamed

Omar Mohamed spent his childhood at the Dadaab camp after his father was killed and he was separated from his mother in Somalia. He devoted everything to taking care of his younger brother, Hassan, and to pursuing his education. He now lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with his wife and five children, and works at a center to help resettle other refugees. He is the founder of Refugee Strong, a nonprofit organization that empowers students living in refugee camps.

David Treuer

Treuer’s essays and stories have appeared in Granta, Harper's, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Esquire, Slate, and The Washington Post, among others. In addition to his works of fiction and nonfiction, he is the author of a book of criticism, ”Native American Fiction: A User’s Manual.“ Treuer is the recipient of a Pushcart Prize, two Minnesota Book Awards, and fellowships from the NEH, Bush Foundation, and Guggenheim Foundation. ”The Translation of Dr. Apelles“ was named a Best Book of the Year by the Washington Post, Time Out, and City Pages. Treuer is a graduate of Princeton University and earned a doctorate in anthropology. He divides his time between his home on the Leech Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota and Los Angeles, where he teaches literature and creative writing at the University of Southern California.

John Ydstie

John Ydstie ’74 earned a bachelor’s degree from Concordia College in English literature with a minor in speech communications. He is currently a member of Concordia’s Board of Regents. Ydstie spent nearly four decades as an editor, reporter, and program host for NPR. He reported on the U.S. and global economies and a wide array of other stories, including the collapse of the Soviet Union, the first Gulf War, and Hurricane Katrina. He began his career at KCCM on Concordia’s campus, covering the murder trial of American Indian activist Leonard Peltier.

The National Book Awards at Concordia is underwritten by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in honor of Earl Lewis ’78.

Earl Lewis

Dr. Earl Lewis, a 1978 graduate of Concordia College, is director of the new University of Michigan Center for Social Solutions, which was established to address three core areas of social concern: diversity and race, water, and the future of work.