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Be in Good "Company" at the Carl Sandburg Literary Award Dinner Honoring Stephen Sondheim and Eric Charles May
Friday, August 14, 2015
By: Rachel Yeomans

Join us at this year's Carl Sandburg Literary Award Dinner on October 21st, where Sondheim himself will be present to accept the Carl Sandburg Literary Award, and answer questions from NPR's Scott Simon.

Frank Rich of The New York Times described Sondheim as "the greatest and perhaps best-known artist in the American musical theater." His works as composer and lyricist include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George and Into the Woods.

(Fun fact: It was with Into the Woods in which Sondheim was credited as the first composer to bring rap music to Broadway, however he attributes the first rap in theatre to Meredith Willson's "Rock Island" from The Music Man. We’ll let you be the judge.) Sondheim also wrote the lyrics for West Side Story and Gypsy.

“I’m flattered and honored, and delighted to accept the Award. The past recipients are a very distinguished company indeed,” states Stephen Sondheim. The company of whom he speaks includes the likes of David McCullough, Kurt Vonnegut, John Updike and Toni Morrison.

Also being honored is novelist and Columbia College Associate Professor Eric Charles May, whose debut Bedrock Faith, has received tremendous praise from readers and critics alike.

Booklist named Bedrock Faith a Top 10 First Novel of 2014:

"In May's vivid, suspenseful, funny, compassionate and epiphanic first novel, the decorous Mrs. Motley, a retired librarian, along with her close-knit, gossipy Chicago South Side community, dreads the return of the notorious Stew Pot Reeves."

May will receive the 21st Century Award that honors significant recent achievement in writing by a Chicago-based author.

There will be a featured Chicago author sitting at each table throughout the evening. You can discuss topics of interest with the likes of Scott Turow, Sara Paretsky, Chef Rick Bayless, Elizabeth Berg, sound artist Nick Cave, Buffalo Bills coach Marv Levy, Rick Kogan, Alex Kotlowitz, Stuart Dybek or even the founding member of the band, Survivor, Jim Peterik.

The Carl Sandburg Literary Award Dinner will take place on October 21, 2015, at the Forum at UIC. Dinner co-chairs are Foundation Directors Dina Yaghmai-Payvar, MD and Bob Wislow.

For more details, and to purchase a ticket to join us at the event, please visit cplfoundation.org/csla.

We generously thank the Presenting Sponsor of the Sandburg Literary Awards Dinner, BMO Harris Bank.

A brief history of the Carl Sandburg Literary Award

Here are some facts about the Carl Sandburg Literary Award that you may (or may not) have known:

• David McCullough was the first recipient of the Carl Sandburg Literary Award in the year 2000.
• Recipients have included the likes of McCullough, Kurt Vonnegut, Tom Wolfe, Salman Rushdie, Roger Ebert and Toni Morrison.
• The evening begins with what the Library Foundation calls its ‘Great Day in Chicago’ picture featuring 75 celebrated local authors. The picture is inspired by the famous black and white photograph, Great Day in Harlem showcasing famous musicians in the 1930s/40s in Harlem.
• In 2010, the dinner migrated from the Harold Washington Library Winter Garden to UIC. That was the year the award was given to Toni Morrison, and Oprah Winfrey was the on-stage interviewer.
• The inclusion of local authors as guests at each table began in 2011.