Rachel Maddow in conversation with KGO's Pat Thurston (Christina Olivas photo).
By Jody Ulate, Managing Editor, Public Affairs
A “humbled” Rachel Maddow accepted the Steinbeck Award following a conversation with KGO host Pat Thurston on Saturday night in Morris Dailey Auditorium.
Between bursts of thunderous applause, the MSNBC host of “The Rachel Maddow Show” discussed her career, her new book, Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power, and, of course, politics.
After a brief presentation from Tom Steinbeck, author and son of John Steinbeck, Maddow said that she was moved to be associated with the legacy of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author.
“Steinbeck wrote Cannery Row, his funny book, when he returned from serving in the war,” she said. When we are faced with the worst in the world, she said, “sometimes a joke is the kindest thing we can do.”
Previous recipients include Bruce Springsteen, John Sayles, Arthur Miller, Jackson Browne, Studs Terkel, Joan Baez, Sean Penn, Garrison Keillor, Dolores Huerta and Michael Moore. The event was a fundraiser for the Steinbeck in the Schools program.