IRA speaker a finalist for National Book Award

 Sherman Alexie, who will serve as the Book and Author Luncheon speaker at the 2008 IRA Annual Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, is a finalist for the 2007 National Book Award in the Young People's Literature category for his young adult novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. The winners will be named in November. For further information about the National Book Awards, visit the National Book Foundation website.