Lisa Lucas (publisher)

Lisa Lucas is executive director of the National Book Foundation[1] and incoming senior vice president at Knopf Doubleday.

Lisa Lucas
Lisa Lucas in 2018
Born
Lisa Lucas

New York City
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Chicago
OccupationExecutive director
Known forNational Book Foundation

Early life

Lucas was born in New York City and grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey and Montclair, New Jersey.[2][3][4] Lucas's father is musician Reggie Lucas, a Grammy-winning songwriter and producer.[5]

Lucas attended the University of Chicago, where she studied English.[3] She graduated in 2001.[6]

Career

Lucas began her career as a 15-year-old intern at Vibe magazine; at 17 she worked for radio station KIIS-FM.[3] After college, Lucas worked for Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater, then the Tribeca Film Festival.[7] In 2012, Lucas became publisher of arts magazine Guernica.[8]

Reporting on Lucas's 2016 appointment to executive director of the National Book Foundation,[9] NBC said: "With Lucas at the forefront of the National Book Foundation and Awards, the future of publishing looks very bright."[10] 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,"[11] and the first woman and the first African-American to lead the organization.[12] As executive director, she has publicly discussed the importance of inclusivity in publishing and reaching young readers.[13]

In July 2020, Lucas was named by Knopf Doubleday as a senior vice president who will oversee both Pantheon Books and Schocken Books.[4]

References
  1. Cox, Ana Marie (7 September 2016). "Lisa Lucas Wants to Make Reading Fun Again". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  2. "National Book Foundation's Lisa Lucas Will Always Enjoy a Good Book". New Jersey Monthly. 2017-11-01. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
  3. Wabuke, Hope (February 27, 2016). "A Lifelong Lover of Books Breaks Ground Atop the Literary World". The Root. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  4. Italie, Hillel via Associated Press. "Lisa Lucas, head of National Book Foundation, to join Knopf", 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."
  5. Kellogg, Carolyn (May 27, 2016). "Lisa Lucas, head of the National Book Foundation, wants you to love reading". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  6. "A more literary union". The University of Chicago Magazine. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
  7. Williams, John (February 10, 2016). "Lisa Lucas Named Executive Director of National Book Foundation". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  8. Richardson, Cat (2014). "Lisa Lucas Looks to Guernica's Future | Poets and Writers". Poets & Writers (November/December). Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  9. Dwyer, Colin (February 10, 2016). "Lisa Lucas Takes The Reins At The National Book Foundation". NPR. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  10. Brown, Lesley-Ann (September 12, 2016). "National Book Foundation's Lisa Lucas: Get to Know 'the Other NBA'". NBC News. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  11. Sullivan, Greg (18 March 2016). "National Book Foundation director: 'diversity isn't just about race'". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  12. Kirch, Claire (March 9, 2016). "Four Questions for...New National Book Foundation head, Lisa Lucas". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  13. Brady, Amy (2017-01-24). "How Lisa Lucas Got Everyone Talking about the National Book Foundation Again". Chicago Review of Books. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
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