Drew Barrymore will host the 2023 National Book Awards, with Oprah Winfrey on board as a special guest, the National Book Foundation announced in a news release.
Barrymore, the actor and talk show host, is herself an author. Her 1990 memoir, Little Girl Lost, was a bestseller, and she’s since written three other books: Find It in Everything, Wildflower, and Rebel Homemaker: Food, Family, Life.
Winfrey, the media mogul whose book club has sent scores of titles up the bestseller charts, will deliver remarks at the ceremony.
“We are honored to have Drew Barrymore—author, voracious reader, and champion for authentic storytelling—host the 2023 National Book Awards,” Ruth Dickey, the executive director of the National Book Foundation said in a statement. “We are also thrilled to welcome Oprah Winfrey, whose book club, magazine, and book-to-screen adaptations have been instrumental in reaching more readers, as our special guest for the evening. It is an absolute honor to have Ms. Barrymore and Ms. Winfrey on one stage to celebrate the power of exceptional literature.”
Past National Book Awards ceremony hosts have included Nick Offerman, LeVar Burton, Jason Reynolds, Phoebe Robinson, and Padma Lakshmi.
This year’s ceremony will be held on Nov. 15 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York.
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.
