Much like a schoolteacher, the United States Government’s job often involves wrangling children, telling people what to do, and determining the severity of punishments when kids get into fights at recess and/or start assembling atomic weapons. However, another important duty they both share involves giving awards to students/citizens who are really good at something. That might mean perfect attendance, getting good grades, or even being one of the most popular horror novelists of all time. This weekend, the White House announced who will be receiving awards just like that at a ceremony later this month.
The award in question is the prestigious National Medal Of Arts, which is sponsored by the National Endowment For The Arts. Previous winners have included George Lucas, Stan Lee, and Ray Bradbury, and this year’s class also has a bunch of big names—but most notably, Stephen King, Sally Field, and Jhumpa Lahiri. This comes from the White House’s official website (via io9), which also includes handy little blurbs that save us from having to explain who these people are:
Stephen King for his contributions as an author. One of the most popular and prolific writers of our time, Mr. King combines his remarkable storytelling with his sharp analysis of human nature. For decades, his works of horror, suspense, science fiction, and fantasy have terrified and delighted audiences around the world.
He also wrote The Langoliers!
Sally Field for her contributions as an actress and filmmaker. The dignity, empathy, and fearlessness of her performances have touched audiences around the world, and she has deployed those same qualities off-screen in her advocacy for women, LGBT rights, and public health.
She was in The Amazing Spider-Man!
Jhumpa Lahiri for enlarging the human story. In her works of fiction, Dr. Lahiri has illuminated the Indian-American experience in beautifully wrought narratives of estrangement and belonging.
We don’t have anything snarky to say about her!
The awards themselves will be handed out on September 10 by President Obama, and as the website notes, “The First Lady will also attend.” To see the rest of the recipients, go to the White House’s website—but just so you know, none of the others wrote The Langoliers.