Tattered Cover director of buying Cathy Langer will retire in March 2018, more than 40 after joining the store. Adult frontlist buyer Stephanie Coleman will take over Langer's position after she leaves. The Denver Post has a profile of Langer, as incoming co-owner Len Vlahos tells the paper she is among "an elite group of really well-known book buyers in our universe."
Current owner Joyce Meskis tells BTW: "Cathy has unfailingly demonstrated her knowledge of the readers' potential interest and her ability to be in touch with it. That speaks to her abilities as a bookseller and buyer, but Cathy’s contribution has extended well beyond that special talent. She has worn many hats in her service to the community, the book industry, and Tattered Cover."
Paul Muldoon is stepping down as poetry editor of the New Yorker after a decade, and will be replaced by Kevin Young, currently the director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Young most recent poetry collection Blue Laws: Selected & Uncollected Poems 1995-2015 was longlisted for the 2016 National Book Award.
Former Boston Globe books editor Nicole Lamy will start a weekly literary advice column called Match Book for the NYT Book Review in April. "Each column will offer personalized book suggestions to one reader," the paper says. Readers are invited to email matchbook@nytimes.com "with details about their reading habits—old favorites, new books that exceeded their expectations, and those that fell short."
At Random House Children's, Mary McCue has been promoted to associate director of publicity.
Freesia Blizard has being promoted to production developer at Chronicle Books.
Ingram Content Group announced that John Donovan has joined VitalSource as managing director of Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific regions. Previously, he was director of global sales and business development for online courseware provider Epigeum.
Forthcoming
Chelsea Clinton has written a picture book celebrating inspirational women in American history, titled SHE PERSISTED, illustrated by Alexandra Boiger (Max and Marla), which Penguin Children's will publish on May 30 under its Philomel imprint. Clinton says, "I wrote this book for everyone who's ever wanted to speak up but has been told to quiet down, for everyone who’s ever been made to feel less than." The 13 women include Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller, Nellie Bly, Maria Tallchief, Claudette Colvin, Clara Lemlich, Ruby Bridges, Margaret Chase Smith, Sally Ride, Florence Griffith Joyner, Oprah Winfrey, and Sonia Sotomayor.
Initiatives
HarperCollins has announced that it will partner with education company General Assembly on an author event series featuring HarperCollins business authors. The free and open-to-the public events begin March 30 and will take place over seven weeks in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The slate of nine featured speakers includes Spellbound author David Kwong; Yes, And author Kelly Leonard; Pitch Perfect author Bill McGowan; and more.
