national book critics circle Xiaolu Guo carina chocano joan silber

Getty Images; Carina Chocano; Joan Silber

In a first, all seven of this year’s prestigious National Book Critics Circle Awards were awarded to female authors.

The prizes, which are determined by top critics from news and literary outlets nationwide, were announced Thursday night at a ceremony in New York City.

Men were not completely shut out of the festivities, though, as John McPhee and veteran book critic Charles Finch accepted honorary awards for lifetime achievement.

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The winners included Joan Silber for her novel “Improvement,” Layli Long Soldier for her poetry collection “Whereas” and Caroline Fraser for her biography “Prairie Fires: The American Dream of Laura Ingalls Wilder.”

Chinese-British author and filmmaker Xiaolu Guo’s “Nine Continents: A Memoir In and Out of China” won for autobiography, Frances FitzGerald’s “The Evangelicals: The Struggle to Shape America” won in nonfiction, Carina Chocano’s “You Play The Girl: On Playboy Bunnies, Stepford Wives, Trainwrecks, & Other Mixed Messages” picked up the prize for criticism.

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In addition, Carmen Maria Machado’s fiction collection “Her Body and Other Parties” earned the John Leonard Prize for best first book in any genre.

Founded in 1974, the National Book Critics Circle Awards are given annually to honor outstanding books published in the U.S. in English (including translations). The organization includes more than 700 critics and editors from leading newspapers, magazines and online publications.

Separate committees select finalists in each of the award categories, with the winners chosen by the circle’s 24-member board.

9 Women Who Have Directed Movies With $100 Million Budgets (Photos)

Only nine women directors, so far, have ever been given a budget north of $100 million. Even fewer have done so without also having a male co-director or on projects that aren't animated. That needs to change, and with "Captain Marvel" opening this weekend, hopefully that changes soon.
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Kathryn Bigelow • "K:19 - The Widowmaker" (2002) - $100 Million

Before she became the first (and only) woman to win the Oscar for Best Director, Kathryn Bigelow was the first woman director to land a $100 million budget for her 2002 submarine thriller "K-19: The Widowmaker."
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Jennifer Yuh Nelson • "Kung Fu Panda 2" (2011) - $150 Million

Jennifer Yuh Nelson directed the $150 million sequel to "Kung Fu Panda." She came back for the third film as well with a similar budget, but would then be paired with male director Alessandro Carloni.
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Lana and Lilly Wachowski • "Cloud Atlas" (2012) -$128.5 Million and "Jupiter Ascending" (2016) - $176 Million

Lana Wachowski came out publicly as a transgender woman in 2012 while discussing the creative process behind "Cloud Atlas." She would then co-direct "Jupiter Ascending" in 2015, with Lilly also coming out as trans woman in 2016.
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Jennifer Lee with Chris Buck • "Frozen" (2013) - $150 Million

Jennifer Lee's "Frozen" won two Oscars and was a pop cultural smash, and she'll direct the sequel as well along with Chris Buck.
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Patty Jenkins • "Wonder Woman" (2017) - $149 Million

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Ava DuVernay • "A Wrinkle in Time" (2018) - $103 Million

Disney's "A Wrinkle in Time" is an ambitious fantasy that should hopefully inspire a new generation of filmmakers and young kids. But the exotic, colorful family film only made $132 million at the worldwide box office.
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Anna Boden with Ryan Fleck • "Captain Marvel" (2019)

Marvel's first female-fronted property enlisted Anna Boden along with Ryan Fleck, best known for their indie "Mississippi Grind." Its Thursday box office preview made it the fifth highest opening for any MCU film, putting it on pace for a huge first weekend.
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Niki Caro • "Mulan" (2020)

Niki Caro's live action adaptation of the animated hit "Mulan" was supposed to come out later this year, but was recently pushed back to 2020.
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Kathryn Bigelow, Patty Jenkins and Ava DuVernay are among the few

Only nine women directors, so far, have ever been given a budget north of $100 million. Even fewer have done so without also having a male co-director or on projects that aren't animated. That needs to change, and with "Captain Marvel" opening this weekend, hopefully that changes soon.

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