aaww's 11th annual asian american literary awards

New York friends, an event for you. Next week, the Asian American Writers' Workshop presents the 11th Annual Asian American Literary Awards, honoring Asian American writers for excellence in fiction, poetry and nonfiction. It's on Monday, December 8 at NYU.

The year, the Workshop reunites Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang and actor B.D. Wong in a special reading and discussion to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of M. Butterfly, their groundbreaking play.

AAWW will also be honoring four writers, including novelist Mohsin Hamid for The Reluctant Fundamentalist, poet Sun Young Shin for Skirt Full of Black, and professor Vijay Prashad for The Darker Nations. Here's some information:

The Eleventh Annual Asian American Literary Awards Ceremony
Monday, December 8, 2008

For the 11th Annual Asian American Literary Awards, The Workshop will present a Lifetime Achievement Award to playwright David Henry Hwang, who will reunite with B.D. Wong in a special reading and celebration for the 20th anniversary of their seminal contribution to Asian American culture, M. Butterfly. Hwang and Wong will discuss their seminal contribution to Asian American culture with Oskar Eustis, the Artistic Director of The Public Theater. Every audience member will receive a free paperback of M. Butterfly.

The winner of the Asian American Literary Award for Fiction is Mohsin Hamid for The Reluctant Fundamentalist (Harcourt). The winner of the Asian American Literary Award for Nonfiction is Vijay Prashad for The Darker Nations (New Press). The winner of the Asian American Literary Award for Poetry is Sun Yung Shin for Skirt Full of Black (Coffee House Press).

VIP Reception | 6-7:30 pm
Deutsches Haus at NYU
2 Washington Mews, New York
$100

Awards Ceremony | 7:30-9 pm
Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Film Center at NYU
36 East 8th Street, New York
$20 members, $30 non-members

It should be a really cool evening. Law and Order: SVU fans, come on out. And get yourself a complimentary copy of M. Butterfly. Purchase your tickets online here. For more information about the event, visit the Asian American Writers' Workshop website here.