People 4/21

BuzzFeed ceo Jonah Peretti announced yesterday that BuzzFeed News will shut down and 120 employees have been laid off. BuzzFeed Books is a part of BuzzFeed News, but a regular freelancer told PL that no one has informed contributors about whether the department is being shuttered or not.

The company laid off employees back in December, including Farrah Penn from the books section, with Tomi Obaro continuing to lead book content. Now Obaro has also been laid off and, as the contributor put it, the situation is nebulous. PL has reached out to BuzzFeed for clarification.

Gianna Lakenauth has been promoted to associate editor.

Agent Sara Crowe has founded Sara Crowe Literary. She was previously a senior agent at Pippin Properties for seven years. She will continue to represent “a diverse list of children’s and adult fiction and nonfiction; everything from picture books to graphic novels to literary fiction and adult romcoms.”