On episode 105 of The Quarantine Tapes, Paul Holdengräber is joined by Lisa Lucas. As the incoming senior vice president of Pantheon and Schocken Books, Lisa talks about her experiences in publishing and her excitement about the potential of her new position. Their conversation covers equity in publishing for people of color and other marginalized groups and how Lisa has found herself feeling newly comfortable in her anger in recent months.

Lisa offers up a thoughtful perspective on what needs to change in publishing and what role she hopes to play in that change. She and Paul discuss the importance of publishing more translations in the US and Lisa’s commitment to increasing access to books for all.

Lisa Lucas is the incoming Senior Vice President & Publisher of Pantheon and Schocken Books at Penguin Random House, and the current Executive Director of the National Book Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation, she served as the Publisher of Guernica, a non-profit online magazine focusing on writing that explores the intersection of art and politics with an international and diverse focus. Prior to that, she served as Director of Education at the Tribeca Film Institute, on the development team at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and as a consultant for the Sundance Institute, San Francisco Film Society, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and ReelWorks Teen Filmmaking. Lucas also serves on the literary council of the Brooklyn Book Festival. Find her on Twitter at @likaluca.

Credits:

Paul Holdengraber - Co-Creator, Host, OLA Director
Anthony Audi - Co-Creator, Researcher, OLA Director
Alejandro Cohen - Co-Creator, Producer, Composer
Christian Pitt - Production Coordinator 
Erin Cooney - Copy, Production
Dublab Team