The lineup of 20 writers under 40 announced also includes Sarah Hall, Adam Foulds, Kamila Shamsie, Adam Thirlwell and Helen Oyeyemi.

The list includes 12 women and eight men, whose roots stretch from China, Bangladesh, Somalia and Canada to London and the north of England.

The best known is probably Smith, 37, who shot to fame in 2000 with her debut novel “White Teeth” and has gone on to write novels including “On Beauty” and “NW.”

One of the least known is 33-year-old Selasi, a London-born, Boston-raised writer with Ghanaian and Nigerian parents who has been mentored by Toni Morrison. Her first novel, “Ghana Must Go,” was published last month.

The list also includes Naomi Alderman — author of three novels and creator of a zombie-themed fitness phone app — and former pro basketball player and six-time novelist Benjamin Markovits.

Granta editor John Freeman said the list demonstrated “that the novel has a bold, brilliant future in Britain.”

The Granta selection, chosen by a panel of writers, editors and critics, carries weight because the magazine’s first selection, in 1983, proved prescient. Among the original 20 were future heavyweights Martin Amis, Julian Barnes, Salman Rushdie, Pat Barker, Kazuo Ishiguro, Graham Swift and Ian McEwan.

The 1993 roster included Ben Okri, Alan Hollinghurst, Jeanette Winterson and “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin” author Louis de Bernieres.

Smith and Thirlwell both appeared on the 2003 list, along with “Brick Lane” writer Monica Ali and “Cloud Atlas” author David Mitchell.

Jonathan Ruppin, web editor for the Foyles bookstore chain, said the 2013 selection was “a fascinating and very promising list.”

“If you look at that first list (in 1983), the accusations of publishing being a bit parochial and white and middle class — you could make that claim. This list does reflect the huge diversity of ethnic backgrounds that are now recognized as part of the literary world.

“It’s also nice to see names who have a few books under their belt and they’re acclaimed but have not really racked up the readers yet — writers like Ross Raisin, Helen Oyeyemi, Naomi Alderman and Kamila Shamsie,” he said.

The 2013 list, in alphabetical order: Naomi Alderman, Tahmima Anam, Ned Beauman, Jenni Fagan, Adam Foulds, Xiaolu Guo, Sarah Hall, Steven Hall, Joanna Kavenna, Benjamin Markovits, Nadifa Mohamed, Helen Oyeyemi, Ross Raisin, Sunjeev Sahota, Taiye Selasi, Kamila Shamsie, Zadie Smith, David Szalay, Adam Thirlwell, Evie Wyld.

Work by all the authors is published in the latest issue of Granta.

Granta also has twice compiled lists of young American novelists, in 1996 and 2007. The earlier list included Jonathan Franzen, David Guterson and Jeffrey Eugenides, while Jonathan Safran Foer, Nicole Krauss and Gary Shteyngart were on the 2007 edition.

“As a natural evolution of the MBIB mission, we were happy to work with UNCF and BLACK GIRLS ROCK! to launch the “Imagine a Future”

The seven-year MBIB campaign was launched with the goal of fueling a national conversation about black beauty while encouraging women to become catalysts for change in their local communities. Since its inception, My Black is Beautiful has developed a successful and engaging online and offline community and has celebrated, empowered and connected generations of black women everywhere by championing their desire to express their best and most beautiful selves. In 2012 MBIB took its mission a step further by enlisting the support of community organizations BLACK GIRLS ROCK! and UNCF to launch an initiative aimed at positively impacting the lives of one million black girls over three years. The initiative, entitled “Imagine a Future,” documents the current state of black beauty, provides an in-depth look at the influences of young black girls, and equips the community with tools and solutions such as scholarships, leadership camps for teen girls, online consumer interactive tools, and the Imagine a Future documentary.

“As a natural evolution of the MBIB mission, we were happy to work with UNCF and BLACK GIRLS ROCK! to launch the “Imagine a Future” initiative last year and we are excited to take our work a step further by providing the community with a documentary that is both powerful and informative,” said Associate Marketing Director, NA Media and Multicultural Marketing, Lauren Hoenig. “Our hope is that this documentary will aid in altering the current perceptions, conversations and societal implications that come with negative self-image and low self-esteem of young black girls. Through the “Imagine a Future” initiative and partnership with organizations UNCF and BLACK GIRLS ROCK!, P&G continues to reinforce its long-standing commitment within the multicultural space and desire to facilitate a community wherein black women everywhere can change the conversation and help us create a beautiful future for young black girls.”

Directed and produced by Lisa Cortés, Academy-Award nominated for Precious, directed by Free Angela Davis and All Political Prisoners director, Shola Lynch, and executive produced by BLACK GIRLS ROCK! founder and NAACP Award winner Beverly Bond, Imagine a Future follows the story of Delaware teen Janet Goldsboro as she travels to South Africa to examine the historical and present beauty and self-esteem issues that challenge black women and girls. Infused with the perspectives of renowned media personalities such as Mikki Taylor, Gabourey Sidibe, Michaela Angela Davis, Tatyana Ali, Gabrielle Douglas and Melissa Harris-Perry, their stories compliment Janet’s journey of self-discovery by focusing on black beauty insecurities and examining the images of black women in the media.

“Janet’s story is one that is prevalent in our community, and many young black girls can relate to her beauty and self-image issues,” said Lisa Cortés, Director and Producer. “It was an amazing experience capturing her journey as she traveled to South Africa to explore depictions of black beauty throughout history. My hope is that through sharing the stories of the individuals in this film, we are able to impact the lives of black women and girls and help change their perceptions of black beauty.”

The Imagine a Future documentary will air on BET on July 5, 2013 at 10 PM ET/9 PM CT and on Centric on July 6th at 9 PM ET/8 PM CT. The film will also be available for online viewing on the My Black is Beautiful YouTube channel. Viewers are encouraged to learn more about the “Imagine a Future” initiative and join MBIB in changing the conversation by visiting myblackisbeautiful.com and facebook.com/MBIB. There, the community will be able to download an informative Imagine a Future discussion guide that will provide insightful information to fuel conversations and engagement and aid MBIB in achieving its goal of positively impacting the lives of one million black girls over the next two years. You can also change the conversation on Twitter, @MBIBMovement.

Joyner had a front row seat for commencement. After all, he was also a fellow graduate himself.

Joyner started his Morehouse journey back in 1984, but never finished. Three years ago, he decided it was time to come back. By then his son, Dorian Joyner, Jr. was already a freshman.

When the younger Joyner heard his father was coming back to Morehouse, he admits, it was a shock at first.

“I said, ‘oh, you’re coming back to visit some of your friends?’” he remembered. “And [Dorian Senior] said ‘no, I’m coming back to be a student.’ I said – can you repeat that?”

While most kids come to college to get away from their parents, Dorian Junior says he never felt like he was under his father’s thumb.

“We used to have a support system. Sometimes he would come to my room to ask about a problem or a class or a professor to take,” he said.

Daddy Dorian, who allows his son to call him by his first name on campus, said the two have their own friends and schedules, so their paths rarely intersect.

But after three years of learning from and pushing each other, the two have a bond that goes deeper that father and son.

“We’re Morehouse brothers,” the two said proudly.Dorian Senior plans to pursue a law degree and eventually become a judge. His son has applied for the Peace Corps and hopes to spend two years traveling before attending film school.

Christie’s says “Dustheads” sold for $48.8 million in the recent auction.

His “Untitled,” a painting of a black fisherman, held the previous record when it sold for $26.4 million last November.

Also breaking world auction prices for artists were works by Roy Lichtenstein and Jackson Pollock.

Lichtenstein’s “Woman with Flowered Hat” fetched $56 million. A classic example of pop art, the 1963 painting is based on Pablo Picasso’s portrait of his lover Dora Maar.

An important drip painting by Pollock, “Number 19,” realized a record $58.3 million.

Christie’s says the auction brought in $495 million, the highest total at any art auction.

Nicole Muxo said that she was called up to the dance floor, where she was told that Wade was on the phone.

“So I talked to him on the phone, and as I was talking to him the doors opened and he walked out and I was completely shocked, I had no idea that he was going to even call,” said Muxo, who attends Archbishop Coleman Carroll High School in West Kendall. “So I was super-excited, everyone else was super-excited in there.”

Photos show Wade taking pics with the teen and others before the prom at the La Jolla Ballroom in Coral Gables. He also was snapped at the dance.

Muxo said Wade brought her flowers and then they danced.

Wade tweeted about the prom and shared photos on Twitter.

“I had a blast at Prom w @nicole_muxo… Never be 2 scared to ask.. They might just say… ” Wade Tweeted.

Muxo thanked the NBA player for coming by.

“It meant a lot to me. It made my dreams come true,” she said.

Initially Wade had said he wasn’t aware of the YouTube video, in which Muxo makes her pitch to the NBA superstar while wearing a No 3. Wade jersey. Kanye West’s “The Glory” plays in the background.

“My senior prom is coming up, and I have everything set for a perfect night except for one thing: a perfect date,” she says.

In the video she called Wade her favorite basketball player and used signs and “Prom?” written on basketballs to ask Wade to the big event.

Noting the Atlanta school’s mission to cultivate, not just educate, good men, Obama said graduates should not be so eager to join the chase for wealth and material things, but instead should remember where they came from and not “take your degree and get a fancy job and nice house and nice car and never look back.”

“So yes, go get that law degree. But if you do, ask yourself if the only option is to defend the rich and powerful, or if you can also find time to defend the powerless,” Obama said. “Sure, go get your MBA, or start that business, we need black businesses out there. But ask yourself what broader purpose your business might serve, in putting people to work, or transforming a neighborhood.”

“The most successful CEOs I know didn’t start out intent on making money, rather, they had a vision of how their product or service would change things, and the money followed,” he said.

For those headed to medical school, Obama said “make sure you heal folks in underserved communities who really need it, too.”

Before Obama arrived in Atlanta, thunderstorms drenched hundreds of people who gathered on the campus lawn for the outdoor ceremony, forcing many guests to wear clear plastic ponchos over what amounted to their Sunday-best clothes. Rain began falling again, accompanied by more thunder and lightning, minutes after Obama began to speak.

“I also have to say you all are going to get wet,” he said. “I would be out there with you if I could. But Secret Service gets nervous, so I’m going to have to stay here, dry. But know that I’m with you in spirit.”

Obama urged graduates to “inspire those who look up to you to expect more of themselves.”

Obama used the speech to once again share his personal story of growing up without a father, confessing that along the way he made unspecified bad personal choices “like too many men in our community.”

“Sometimes I wrote off my own failings as just another example of the world trying to keep a black man down,” he said. “I had a tendency to make excuses for me not doing the right thing. But one of the things that all of you have learned over the last four years is, there’s no longer any room for excuses.”

Speaking in personal terms as he often does when addressing predominantly black audiences, particularly of black males, the nation’s first black president also spoke intimately of his desire to be a better father to daughters Malia and Sasha than his absent father was to him, and to be a better husband to his wife, Michelle.

He told the graduates to pay attention to their families, saying success in every other aspect of life means nothing without success at home.

“I was raised by a heroic single mother and wonderful grandparents who made incredible sacrifices for me. And I know there are moms and grandparents here today who did the same thing for all of you,” he said. “But I still wish I had a father who was not only present, but involved. And so my whole life, I’ve tried to be for Michelle and my girls what my father wasn’t for my mother and me. I’ve tried to be a better husband, a better father, and a better man.

“It’s hard work that demands your constant attention, and frequent sacrifice. And Michelle will be the first to tell you that I’m not perfect,” he continued. “Even now, I’m still learning how to be the best husband and father I can be. Because success in everything else is unfulfilling if we fail at family.

“I know that when I’m on my deathbed someday, I won’t be thinking about any particular legislation I passed, or policy I promoted. I won’t be thinking about the speech I gave, or the Nobel Prize I received,” said Obama, 51. “I’ll be thinking about a walk I took with my daughters, a lazy afternoon with my wife, whether I did right by all of them.”

The speech was Obama’s second commencement address of the season, following remarks last Sunday at Ohio State University in Columbus. His third and final graduation address will come Friday at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.

About 500 students received undergraduate degrees on Sunday and became “Morehouse Men.”

After the speech, Obama joined about 100 people at a Democratic Senate fundraiser at the Arthur M. Blank Family Office in Atlanta. It was the first of six money events Obama has agreed to headline for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, officials said, as the party recruits candidates and strategizes to keep control of the Senate in midterm elections next year. Six long-serving Democratic senators have decided not to seek re-election. Democrats also will be defending more Senate seats than Republicans next year.

Donors paid anywhere from $10,000 to $32,400 per couple to attend the fundraiser.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

“We are delighted to welcome Valerie Jarrett to Wellesley as our 2013 Commencement speaker,” said president H. Kim Bottomly . “As a successful and influential leader in public service, Ms. Jarrett is a wonderful selection by our students because she exemplifies so well Wellesley’s strength in preparing women for purposeful leadership. ”

Unlike many other colleges and universities, Wellesley’s commencement speaker selection process is student-driven.

According to students, Jarrett is an ideal choice to address graduates of a leading liberal arts institution known for its remarkable track record of introducing women’s voices into traditionally male-dominated spheres of power. Senior Class Co-PresidentsVivian Hu ’13 of Bellaire, Texas and Anoush Youssoufian ’13 of Boston, Mass. said, “We are incredibly excited to host Valerie Jarrett as our commencement speaker this year. As one of the most influential leaders of our time, she is the embodiment ofWellesley’s core ideals of women who will make a difference. She is at the pinnacle of her career and is the epitome of a go-getter. She embodies what we believe our class can achieve with the advantage of our Wellesley education.”

Named “The Other Power in the West Wing,” by The New York Times, Jarrett is widely considered to be one of the most powerful people in the Washington. She is also an outspoken advocate for women. When Jarrett spoke at a February 2012 event aimed at increasing women’s political participation, she said, “My parents raised me to believe that if I worked hard and I focused on my goals, there were no limits to what I could accomplish. My responsibility as the Chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls is to help ensure that all women and girls have that same opportunity.”

Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Jarrett was Chief Executive Officer of The Habitat Company. She also served as Co-Chair of the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team, and Senior Advisor to Obama’s presidential campaign.

The series is expected to hit airways this year on the Style Network.

The famed producer is known for his unique personal style and his Billionaire Boys Club clothing line, which has definitely left a mark in the fashion industry.

Williams is planning to launch a new collection soon called Bee Line.

Although, he has made guest appearances on the trendsetting fashion design competition show “Project Runway”, this will be the first time Williams has participated as a cast member on a show of this caliber, which is too competitive in nature.

“We are delighted to have Pharrell, who is a driving force in both the music industry and fashion world, serve as a mentor on ‘Styled to Rock,’” Salaam Coleman Smith, president of Style Media, said in a release. “Pharrell’s unique aesthetic and commitment to individuality combined with Rihanna’s vision for this series will enable our aspiring designers to hone their craft and learn from the very people who set the trends.”

The two superstars have collaborated together musically, but this is the first time they have attempted to team up for the sake of fashion.

Although Rihanna is a bona fide rockstar and there was a lot of buzz created around “Styled To Rock”, it did not translate into high rating in the UK.

However, the transition of audience and new addition to the cast may definitely translate over in the states.

The BET nominees were recently announced at a press conference on the rooftop of L.A.’s Icon Ultra Lounge, which happens to be just up the street from the Nokia Theatre where the BET Awards will be staged. This is the first time the event has been hosted at this particular venue.

Announcing the nominations were Tamar Braxton and Kendrick Lamar; both stars are up for receiving awards also.

Drake leads the pack with 12 nominations followed by Lamar and 2 Chainz, both drawing in eight nods. A$AP Rocky lingers behind with five nods and Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake and Miguel all tied with four behind him.

Drake’s hit, “Started from the Bottom,” will compete with his collaborations with 2 Chainz (“No Lie”) and A$AP Rocky (“Problems”) in the top prize category, video of the year.

Joining these nominees competing for this very popular award includes Justin Timberlake’s “Suit & Tie,” Kanye West’s “Mercy,” ”Adorn” by Miguel and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ “Thrift Shop.”

As if the excitement of finding out which artists will take home which awards wasn’t enough, the hilarious comedian and actor Chris Tucker will be hosting this musical extravaganza this year.

Playing on the BET theme “Anything can happen,” Tucker joked, “I don’t know what I’m going to do… I might not show up. So anything can happen.”  Then Tucker jokingly asked, “Have I got the check in the mail?  That’s the first thing at the BET Awards. You got to be paid.”

Nathaniel Dancy Jr. had spent the day going to the movies and buying new shoes for school with his father on Monday afternoon when Nathaniel Dancy Sr. began suffering a stroke and an aneurysm while driving. He was able to pull the car off the highway and into a parking lot but was incapacitated once he stopped the car. The 5-year-old grabbed his father’s phone and called his grandmother, who often takes care of him while his mother works at her job at New Jersey Transit.

“It was very confusing and it was scary,’’ the boy’s grandmother, Susan Hardy-Blackman, told TODAY.com of the incident, originally reported by NBC New York. “I was on the other side of town, and I was just trying to figure out where they were so I could get to them.’’

The distraught boy initially hung up but then called Hardy-Blackman back, and she patched him into a three-way call with her daughter, the boy’s mother, Janel Blackman. Nathaniel was trying to tell them where he was but had trouble pronouncing the name of a nearby store, so they asked him to spell it out. He said, “F-U-R-N-I-T-U-R-E “ and then the number 22. He also said they had just gone through a “tunnel,’’ which was actually a nearby highway overpass.

Hardy-Blackman went to a nearby firehouse and asked if they knew where a furniture store of that name might be, and once they told her, she quickly dialed 911 to tell them where to go while her daughter rushed over to the scene. It turned out Nathaniel and his father were in the parking lot of 22 Furniture Gallery on Route 22 in Hillside, N.J., near their home in Newark.

“My wheels were churning, and I didn’t know what to think,’’ Blackman told TODAY.com. “I’m trying to put a mental picture in my brain of where Furniture 22 is. I jumped on the highway, and while I was going past Furniture 22, I saw my husband laid out in the parking lot. Minutes after I arrived on the scene, the ambulance came.”

Dancy Sr., 33, is still in the intensive care unit at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and is being put on a feeding tube, according to Blackman. He had been taking medication for high blood pressure before the incident.

“He is still in the hospital, still trying to survive,’’ Blackman said. “They did in fact save him just in time. I congratulated Nathaniel for being so heroic and helping his dad, and at the same time, his dad was a hero, too. To be in the midst of a stroke and know to get off the highway and get yourself and your child to safety is amazing, especially when you’ve lost feeling in half of your body.”

Nathaniel Jr., who is the youngest of five brothers and sisters, is a kindergartener at West Side Park Elementary School, which is part of the North Star Academy charter school system in Newark.

“Nathaniel is a very smart guy,’’ Coleman said. “He has great diction, and when you hear him talk, you would never think he’s only five. He’s on a third-grade level. He already spells words like ‘decipher’ and understands concepts that the average elementary school student at his age does not.”

“Nothing Nathaniel does is a surprise to me because he does such a tremendous job in everything he does,’’ his grandmother said. “He’ll read something like, ‘The boy slammed the door,’ and say, ‘Grandma that’s onomatopoeia because the word sounds like the sound effect.’ He is tremendous.”

Blackman has not taken Nathaniel Jr. to the hospital to see his father yet.

“I don’t think that it’s sunk in to him,’’ Blackman said. “He just thought his dad needed help. He’s not aware of the full severity of the situation. They are very close, and I don’t know the traumatic side effects it could have on him.

“I said to him, ‘Daddy might not be the same daddy you remember,’ and he said, ‘I hope my dad doesn’t end up in a wheelchair.’ It just melted my heart. He’s just so compassionate as a little guy.”