Northern California Book Awards

(Formerly Bay Area Book Reviewers Association/BABRA)

NCBR/Northern California Book Reviewers, a volunteer group of book reviewers, book review editors, and others who read passionately and write about reading, have met regularly since 1981 to recommend and celebrate books by presenting annual book awards to northern California authors. [See the 2012 NCBA page for the complete list of the finalists and winners for books published in 2011.]

The 32nd Annual Northern California Book Awards will be held on Sunday afternoon at 1:00, in April or May 2013, exact date to be announced soon, Koret Auditorium, San Francisco Main Library. The ceremony and reception are presented and sponsored by Northern California Book Reviewers, Poetry Flash, Center for the Art of Translation, Red Room (redroom.com), PEN West, Mechanics' Institute, San Francisco Public Library, and Friends of the San Francisco Public Library to honor the work of northern California authors and translators, and to recognize exceptional service to the community by northern California writers and literary leaders through the Fred Cody Lifetime Achievement Award and NCBR Special Recognition Awards.

Poetry Flash is a review and literary calendar for California and beyond, and a nonprofit, literary arts presenter. Poetry Flash builds community through literary dialogue and events, and is the organizational home, awards producer, and fiscal sponsor for the Northern California Book Awards and the NCBR.

Center for the Art of Translation promotes international literature and translation through the arts and education. CAT co-ordinates the NCBA/Translation Award and is the parent organization of Poetry Inside Out and publisher of Two Lines: World Writing in Translation. Visit www.catranslation.org for more information.

We gratefully acknowledge the current and prior support of the Columbia Foundation and the Words of the World Fund. Thanks also to Red Room (redroom.com), "where the writers are," The San Francisco Writers Conference 2013 (Michael Larsen and Elizabeth Pomada, Literary Agents), Larsen Associates, Publicists, and media sponsor wandaspicks.com, "promoting literacy through the arts."

Eligible Books
Throughout the year, nominating committees in Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction (General and Creative), Children's Literature, and Translation read books by northern California authors. (See below for special Translation submission guidelines.)

Submission Guidelines for Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction, and Children's Literature
Books written by authors living in northern California and published for the first time in the given year (2012) are eligible for nomination.

For this purpose, northern California includes Fresno and Big Sur. There are no fees or forms.

Send three copies of each title, postmarked by December 28, 2012, to:

Attention: Northern California Book Awards
c/o Poetry Flash, 1450 Fourth Street #4, Berkeley, CA 94710

Submission Guidelines for Translation only
Center for the Art of Translation co-sponsors the Northern California Book Award in Translation for the best translation by a Northern California translator. CAT collects eligible titles, but asks for the public's assistance in identifying books that may qualify for the Translation Award. Eligible titles include book-length translations from any language into English (primarily fiction and poetry, though some nonfiction may be considered) published by Northern California translators in 2012. Anyone can suggest a translation; the awards committee will then select a limited number of finalists. Deadline for receipt of eligible books: December 15, 2012. (If the book is due out later in December, all the information is needed in advance of the deadline.) Please include the title of the book, the author's name, the translator's name, the publisher, the original language, and the genre, and send the information to: NCBR @poetryflash.org, "NCBA-Translation" in the subject heading.

Attention: Publishers should send three copies of any eligible Translation title to: Northern California Book Awards c/o Poetry Flash, 1450 Fourth Street #4, Berkeley, CA 94710

NCBR
Reviewers are always welcome to join Northern California Book Reviewers. Active reviewers are always needed in all categories, especially in nonfiction. Prospective members must have published three reviews in a publication or established online journal. Editors at newspapers and other periodicals that publish book reviews are encouraged to join us. Librarians, book media hosts, and other book professionals may also be eligible for membership. Annual NCBR dues are $25. Meetings are held from October to May in San Francisco and Berkeley; if travel is a hardship, you need not attend meetings to participate. Please contact Joyce Jenkins, NCBR @ poetryflash.org, (510) 525-5476.

Become a Sponsor, Support the Work
Friends of NCBR are non-nominating and non-voting members who support NCBR and/or help with the annual Awards Ceremony. To support this work with a much appreciated tax-deductible donation, please write a check to Poetry Flash, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, and earmark it for the Book Awards, or donate via PayPal on this site.

If you represent a literary arts organization or business, please consider supporting the Northern California Book Awards as a contributing sponsor.

Contributions to NCBR/Northern California Book Awards are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law. Checks may be made to Poetry Flash/NCBR and mailed to 1450 Fourth Street, #4, Berkeley, CA 94710.

The Fred Cody Lifetime Achievement Award Fund is a donor advised fund managed by East Bay Community Foundation. To contribute to the effort to support this award honoring NCBR founder, book reviewer, and legendary bookseller Fred Cody into the future, please contact Joyce Jenkins, NCBR @ poetryflash.org, (510) 525-5476, or Frances Phillips, frances @ haassr.org.