Simpsonista Award
New Literary Project awarded its inaugural Simpsonista Award in 2020. The Simpsonista Award honors extraordinary people and organizations that give voice to writers and storytellers across the generations. Our inaugural Award went to KQED public radio host Michael Krasny, who has been giving voice to writers and storytellers for decades. Writers and readers and students and all people with a conscience are indebted to him for elevating and deepening the discussion of the crucial issues of our time, and specifically for celebrating the art of the story.
2021 Recipient: Julayne Virgil
An iconic photo of a superstar was taken during a Warriors’ championship parade through Oakland. It went viral. This shot captures Finals MVP Kevin Durant. There he is alongside the smiling superstar—her name is Julayne Virgil. Durant had invited Julayne on his bus to honor her commitment to change the lives of Oakland children. Slam dunk move. Who wouldn’t want to be on the bus with her? She has been on the New Literary Project parade bus since day one, and under her guidance Girls Inc. Alameda County became one of the Project’s first institutional partners. Her executive leadership is stellar. Her résumé is eye-popping. She is a spellbinding speaker. Her integrity is invincible. People regularly call her inspiring. What that means is: if you spend any engaged time in her presence, you just might come away a better human being, a little bit smarter, a whole lot kinder, way less tolerant of injustice and inequity, and more resolved than ever to do something about it. There’s a word for what she possesses: charisma. Because she herself is a gift, she gives with all her heart. And those who feel her charisma do what she calls upon in herself: we give. We give back. We give more. New Literary Project gives her the 2021 Simpsonista Award—but she has given us something unquantifiable if not infinite: more reason to believe in youth, to trust in art, to give until we cannot give anymore. -Joseph Di Prisco, Founding Chair, New Literary Project
Julayne graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and holds a master’s degree in public administration from the Sol Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California where she previously served on the Alumni Association Board of Directors. She serves on the boards of Educate 78 and San Francisco University High School where she was also President of the Alumni Association. Julayne is an Oakland native who returned with her husband to raise their daughters in her beloved hometown. Learn More about her work at Girls Inc and the Simpson Writing Workshops.
2020 Recipient: Michael Krasny
A giant in his field, Michael Krasny embodies the aspirations, the mission, of the Simpson Literary Project, which is all about storytelling and education. Distinguished author, professor, speaker, recipient of impressive laurels galore. Somehow, we feel we know him personally from his interviews—incisive, generous, humane, principled, witty interviews—on KQED’s Forum. He is the gold standard. He has interviewed most of our Joyce Carol Oates Prize Winners and Joyce herself, and even me. Let me tell you, it is a rare thing to learn something during an interview about one’s own work or oneself. But that is routinely the case with him. I think I figured out why. Yes, he is a fabulous wordsmith and asker of questions. But you know what he is also tremendous at? Listening. He is the consummate listener. There’s a lesson there for us who teach (don’t talk too much!), and those of us who write (get out of the way of your characters, hear them out!). Writers and readers and students and all people with a conscience are indebted to him for elevating and deepening the discussion of the crucial issues of our time, and specifically for celebrating the art of the story. In this hour of darkness, he is a towering figure of illumination.
— Joseph Di Prisco, Founding Chair, Simpson Literary Project
Michael Krasny will receive the Simpsonista Award at the Simpson Literary Project’s Fourth Annual Celebration on September 20, 2020, to be held at the California Shakespeare Theater.
Michael Krasny, PhD, has been in broadcast journalism since 1983. He was with ABC in both radio and television and migrated to public broadcasting in 1993. He has been Professor of English at San Francisco State University and also taught at Stanford, the University of San Francisco and the University of California, as well as in the Fulbright International Institutes. A veteran interviewer for the nationally broadcast City Arts and Lectures, he is the author of a number of books, including “Off Mike: A Memoir of Talk Radio and Literary Life” (Stanford University Press) “Spiritual Envy” (New World); “Sound Ideas” (with M.E. Sokolik/ McGraw-Hill); “Let There Be Laughter” (Harper-Collins) as well as the twenty-four lecture series in DVD, audio and book, “Short Story Masterpieces” (The Teaching Company). He has interviewed many of the world’s leading political, cultural, literary, science and technology figures, as well as major figures from the world of entertainment. He is the recipient of many awards and honors including the S.Y. Agnon Medal for Intellectual Achievement; The Eugene Block Award for Human Rights Journalism; the James Madison Freedom of Information Award; the Excellence in Journalism Award from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association; Career Achievement Award from the Society of Professional Journalists and an award from the Radio and Television News Directors Association. He holds a bachelor’s degree (cum laude) and master’s degree from Ohio University and a PhD from the University of Wisconsin.
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