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Alexandra Alter, the longtime books reporter at the New York Times Book Review, is moving to the Styles desk this month. Pitches and tips about industry news should now go to John Maher and pitches about profiles, Q and As, and By the Book should go to Scott Heller.

The NYT told PL, “Alexandra is moving to a new role within the newsroom. The Book Review will announce staff updates when there’s news to share.”

PEN America president Dinaw Mengestu has resigned after just seven months in the position. He served on the board for about ten years. He said in an email reported by the NYT, “That decision is obviously not something I came to lightly, having remained on the board through numerous challenges.” PEN confirmed Mengestu’s resignation; neither party gave any further details.

As NYT notes, on Thursday PEN published a group of interviews with Jewish and Israeli writers “who report facing rising isolation and exclusion.”

Update: After the initial story was posted, Mengestu spoke further to the NYT, saying that article “continues this approach toward defending some rights while not defending others.” He also said, “This report is not an isolated incident.” Further, the NYT writes, “Mengestu said that there had been a lack of transparency within the organization and that several staff members had reached out to express ‘anger and frustration that they were kept entirely in the dark about the publication’ of the article about Jewish writers.”

The organization replied, “We respect that he’s made a decision he believes in. We recognize people can disagree about how best to apply free expression principles in this extraordinarily difficult environment.”

As to the article, “PEN America said in its email that it felt vital to share stories of exclusion and isolation from writers in its community. ‘We are proud of this piece,’ it said, ‘and believe it is exactly the kind of important work that PEN America is uniquely positioned to do.'”

Mengestu made this First Amendment argument to Gal Beckerman, writing in the Atlantic: “When I reached him, he described the PEN article as a possible threat to the constitutional rights of those who advocate for shunning Israeli products (including art) according to the standards of the BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) movement. Apparently setting aside the question of defending free expression for Israeli and Jewish writers, he focused on the rights of pro-Palestinian activists. A document like this from PEN, he felt, could provide more fuel for legislation that targets proponents of BDS. Such legislation already exists in most states, though it is usually aimed at businesses and individuals seeking government contracts. ‘It’s the first amendment that allows all of us to engage in boycotts, not PEN America,’ Mengestu wrote in an email. ‘PEN America as a free expression organization is supposed to defend that right.'”

Mengestu responded further to Beckerman’s piece on Instagram: “The writers who boycotted the organization in 2024 wanted change, and they returned when they believed such change was possible. I insisted and believed that it was, and I argued that the organization defend free expression equitably and equally. This report makes clear that will not happen.

“I am not boycotting PEN America. Like many other writers who have reached out to me, I am walking away from it permanently, and I will do everything I can now to help make something better.”

Anna Jarzab has been named to the newly created position of vp, marketing, at Candlewick Press, Holiday House, and Peachtree. Jarzab was most recently associate publisher for Aladdin, Simon Pulse, Simon Spotlight, Little Simon, and Boynton Bookworks.