That’s biographer T. J. Stiles talking about the recession on the floor of the glitzy National Book Awards yesterday. Stiles won the award for his biography of a wealthy man, “The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt,” but had some advice for surviving as a writer during these difficult economic times.

In addition, we interviewed NBA Fiction Winner Colum McCann about New York City and grace. Finally, we quizzed the nominees on Stephenie Meyer‘s bestselling Twilight Saga and interviewed

Last night Galleycat covered the 2009 National Book Awards, a combination of the Academy Awards ceremony, a fairytale ball, and a high school prom for writers.