We were honored to accept our 2013 Innovations in Reading Prize from the National Book Foundation and to deploy the reading room at the National Book Awards Ceremony this week. Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou were just a few of the writers who passed by the Uni tower on their way to the podium.
Here are photos and a video that shows Leslie removing shrink wrap on the tower (to keep guests away until show time.) I welcomed EL Doctorow’s acceptance speech, a protest of our complacent attitude to the Internet, which “like all worlds…comes with its heaven and its hell.”
The night was also an opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve come. If you looked carefully under the lights, you could see the worn surface of the Uni tower that has travelled to neighborhoods across New York. We wear these marks as proudly as our new prize. Read on.
Thank you Uni Volunteer Emily Jacobson who helped us tonight.
Justin Stanley, founder Uprise Book Project, with a cube of banned books donated to the Uni collection.
Thank you to everyone at the National Book Foundation for a wonderful evening. And congratulations to everyone who has supported the Uni.