Katherine Dunn, 70, author of the National Book Award-nominated 1989 novel Geek Love, died Thursday in Portland, OR from complications of lung cancer. Dunn also published two earlier novels as well as an essay collection on boxing, and was at work on her fourth novel upon her death. “Katherine was an enormously talented writer, and an amazing person to be around,” Knopf president and publisher Sonny Mehta said in a statement. “Her interests were always striking to me, and I feel very fortunate to have made her acquaintance upon my arrival in America. Geek Love was one of the first acquisitions I made at Knopf, and it has become a cult classic. All of us at Knopf and Vintage will miss her.”
At Simon & Schuster Children’s, Lisa Rao has been promoted to senior editor, Simon Spotlight; Annie Nybo moves up to associate editor, Margaret K. McElderry Books; and both Liz Kossnar and Alexa Pastor have been promoted to assistant editor.