Lisa Lucas (publisher)

Lisa Lucas
Lucas in 2018
Born
Lisa Lucas

1980 (age 44–45)[1]
New York City, United States
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Chicago
OccupationExecutive director
Known forNational Book Foundation

Lisa Lucas (born 1980) is an American publishing executive. From 2020 to 2024, she was senior vice president at Knopf Doubleday, and from 2016 to 2020 she was executive director of the National Book Foundation.[2]

Early life

Lucas was born in New York City in 1980[1] and grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey and Montclair, New Jersey.[3][4][5] Lucas's father is musician Reggie Lucas, a Grammy-winning songwriter and producer.[6]

Lucas attended the University of Chicago, where she studied English.[4] She graduated in 2001.[7]

Career

Lucas began her career as a 15-year-old intern at Vibe magazine; at 17 she worked for radio station KIIS-FM.[4] After college, Lucas worked for Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater, then the Tribeca Film Festival.[8] In 2012, Lucas became publisher of arts magazine Guernica.[9]

Reporting on Lucas's 2016 appointment to executive director of the National Book Foundation,[10] NBC said: "With Lucas at the forefront of the National Book Foundation and Awards, the future of publishing looks very bright."[11] The Los Angeles Times said Lucas "is clearly poised to bring the organization to a new level...ideally suited" to promote the foundation. She is the third director in the history of the foundation, "one of America’s key literary institutions,"[12] and the first woman and the first African-American to lead the organization.[13] As executive director, she has publicly discussed the importance of inclusivity in publishing and reaching young readers.[14]

In July 2020, Lucas was named by Knopf Doubleday as a senior vice president to serve as publisher of both Pantheon Books and Schocken Books.[5] In her time in these roles, Lucas published Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s Chain-Gang All Stars (a National Book Award finalist), signed LeVar Burton to a two-book deal, and was the first Black publisher for Pantheon, an 80-year-old imprint.[15] In May 2024, Lucas and Reagan Arthur were removed from their roles at the company as part of cost-cutting.[15][16]

References

  1. ^ a b Breen, Kerry (June 22, 2020). "Lisa Lucas discovered that her dad's famous song was about her". Today. Retrieved November 24, 2023. June 22, 2020...Lucas, 40, who is the executive director of the National Book Foundation...her mother, Kay Lucas wrote (This was written when you were being born. It's about you.)
  2. ^ Cox, Ana Marie (September 7, 2016). "Lisa Lucas Wants to Make Reading Fun Again". The New York Times. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  3. ^ "National Book Foundation's Lisa Lucas Will Always Enjoy a Good Book". New Jersey Monthly. November 1, 2017. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Wabuke, Hope (February 27, 2016). "A Lifelong Lover of Books Breaks Ground Atop the Literary World". The Root. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  5. ^ a b Italie, Hillel via Associated Press. "Lisa Lucas, head of National Book Foundation, to join Knopf" Archived 2020-07-15 at the Wayback Machine, Minneapolis Star, July 15, 2020. Accessed July 15, 2020. "The head of the organization which presents the National Book Awards is joining the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Lisa Lucas, executive director of the National Book Foundation since 2016, has been named senior vice president of the Knopf imprints Pantheon and Schocken Books.... A native of New York City who grew up in Teaneck and Montclair, New Jersey, Lucas has held a variety of positions in the book world, whether publishing Guernica magazine or serving on the literary council of the Brooklyn Book Festival."
  6. ^ Kellogg, Carolyn (May 27, 2016). "Lisa Lucas, head of the National Book Foundation, wants you to love reading". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  7. ^ "A more literary union". The University of Chicago Magazine. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  8. ^ Williams, John (February 10, 2016). "Lisa Lucas Named Executive Director of National Book Foundation". The New York Times. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  9. ^ Richardson, Cat (2014). "Lisa Lucas Looks to Guernica's Future | Poets and Writers". Poets & Writers. No. November/December. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  10. ^ Dwyer, Colin (February 10, 2016). "Lisa Lucas Takes The Reins At The National Book Foundation". NPR. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  11. ^ Brown, Lesley-Ann (September 12, 2016). "National Book Foundation's Lisa Lucas: Get to Know 'the Other NBA'". NBC News. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  12. ^ Sullivan, Greg (March 18, 2016). "National Book Foundation director: 'diversity isn't just about race'". The Guardian. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  13. ^ Kirch, Claire (March 9, 2016). "Four Questions for...New National Book Foundation head, Lisa Lucas". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  14. ^ Brady, Amy (January 24, 2017). "How Lisa Lucas Got Everyone Talking about the National Book Foundation Again". Chicago Review of Books. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  15. ^ a b Alter, Alexandra; Harris, Elizabeth A. (May 20, 2024). "Penguin Random House Dismisses Two of Its Top Publishers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  16. ^ Alter, Alexandra; Elizabeth Harris (August 21, 2024). "'A Lot of Us Are Gone': How the Push to Diversify Publishing Fell Short". The New York Times.