The New-York Historical Society has named Doris Kearns Goodwin its newest history laureate and given her its first $50,000 prize for American history for her latest effort TEAM OF RIVALS. It's certainly a much more positive piece of news for Goodwin, who's managed to revive her career somewhat after the tumult surrounding her previous book...

Meanwhile, Luis Alberto Urrea has taken the Kiriyama Prize for fiction (Piers Vitebsky won for non-fiction) which rewards winners with $15,000 for literature that contributes to greater understanding of and among the peoples and nations of the Pacific Rim and South Asia."