The National Book Awards shortlist will be announced in Philadelphia tomorrow, but tonight National Book Foundation executive director Harold Augenbraum joins Inquirer book critic Carlin Romano and James English, author of The Economy of Prestige, for a panel discussion on "the history and meaning of book prizes" at The Library Company, the first lending library in the United States. "We'll let James start off by giving a thumbnail thesis of his book," Romano said during a telephone call this morning, delving into the book's discussion of the cultural capital invested in literary prizes. From there, the conversation will expand, with Augenbraum and Romano offering their insights as prize administrators—as a former National Book Critics Circle president, Romano had oversight of the NBCC awards in the 1990s—and striking a balance between the intellectual freight carried by such prizes and their implications for the commercial end of publishing. "Are prizes more important in the poetry world than the nonfiction world?" Augenbraum emails, hinting at possible conversational topics. "Why are they important now? How are decisions made in various types of awards?" They may even speculate on Thursday's Nobel announcement, if they get a chance... For those of us who can't make it, Augenbraum notes that local public radio station WHYY-FM will be recording the event; no word yet when it will air, but if I hear anything, I'll let you know.