Sam Tanenhaus, executive editor of the famed New York Times Book Review, will speak at the University of New Mexico Student Union Building’s Lobo Room on Wednesday, April 4 at 4 p.m. during a free, public event. His talk, “Literary Publishing in an Age of Publishing Conglomerates,” will address the changing world of global publishing and the increasingly competitive literary industry.
Photo: Sam Tanenhaus
Tanenhaus’s lecture, sponsored by the UNM English department’s professional writing program, offers an opportunity for the university and general public to discuss trends with the editor of one of the most influential literary reviews today.
“Literary life still seems to be centered on books; and at the center of the trade publishing world is the New York Times Book Review,” David Dunaway, UNM professor of professional writing, said. “While writing can be a community activity, as local as your guestroom or office, it is also a national and international phenomenon. There are few opportunities for New Mexico writers to hear someone as well connected to the hub of the industry as Sam Tanenhaus.”
Tanenhaus, 51, has been the executive editor at the New York Times Book Review since succeeding Chip McGrath in April 2004. As executive editor of the NYTBR, Tanenhaus oversees review coverage, manages a staff of writers and reviewers, and collaborates with art directors to make the pages of the weekly supplement. He has final say on the cover review and the review’s balance of fiction and nonfiction and subject themes. Under his leadership, the review has seen a redesign, a shift to reviewing more nonfiction, podcasting author interviews on the Internet, and a “Top 10 Best Fiction of the Year” feature.
Tanenhaus was previously a contributing editor on politics and culture at Vanity Fair. His criticism has appeared in many publications, including The Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, The New Republic, and The New York Review of Books. An accomplished author, Tanenhaus’s biography of Whittaker Chambers was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.
After graduate school at Yale, Tanenhaus began his publishing career as a freelance editor and publicist. He was an assistant editor to the New York Times op-ed from 1997-1999.
Tanenhaus lives in Tarrytown, NY, with his wife and daughter.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Posted by scarr at March 22, 2007 02:26 PM