This post was originally published on here
NEW YORK — Three authors who demonstrated how scientific research can be wedded to literary grace have been awarded $10,000 prizes.
The National Book Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation announced the winners of the fifth annual Science + Literature awards in January. The books include Kimberly Blaeser’s poetry collection, “Ancient Light,” inspired in part by the environmental destruction of Indigenous communities; the novel “Bog Queen” by Anna North, the story of a forensic anthropologist and a 2000-year-old Celtic druid; and a work of nonfiction, Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian’s “Forest Euphoria: The Abounding Queerness of Nature.”
“These gifted storytellers shine a scientific and poetic light on the beauties and terrors of nature and what they reveal to us about our deepest selves, our humanity, and our existence on this planet,” Doron Weber, vice president and program director at the Sloan Foundation, said in a statement.
Ruth Dickey, executive director of the National Book Foundation, said in a statement that the new winners continue the awards’ mission to highlight “diverse voices in science writing that … enlighten, challenge, and engage readers everywhere.”
The Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards, one of the literary world’s most prestigious events.
