Larry Wilmore to make reading cool as National Book Awards host

By Esther Zuckerman | October 11, 2016 | 12:30pm

Aux Features Books

Larry Wilmore is now the go-to guy for hosting classy yet nerdy events. He did the White House Correspondents’ Dinner earlier this year, and in November he’ll be emceeing the National Book Awards, according to the Associated Press. Of course, a lot will have changed for Wilmore in between those. Back in August, Comedy Central cancelled The Nightly Show, removing an important voice from the late-night landscape in the lead up to the election. Meanwhile, he’s currently serving as an executive producer on Issa Rae’s new HBO show, Insecure.

But come November 16, he’ll get his bookworm on at the New York ceremony. The NBA fiction finalists this year include: The Throwback Special by Chris Bachelder, News Of The World by Paulette Jiles, The Association Of Small Bombs by Karan Mahajan, The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, and Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson. You can see the full list of finalists in other categories and the longlists here.