The Review Revolution: Improving Culture through Kvetching: A New Career Direction

Well, after nine years as the Religion Reviews Editor at Publishers Weekly, I've decided that it is time to move on to new challenges. July 18 will be my last day at PW, right after the International Christian Retail Show in Orlando. I'm glad I'll have a chance to say good-bye to some of the special people from evangelical Christian houses I've worked with over the years, because in my new job I don't think I'm going to be attending ICRS.

I am very excited about my next step! I will be working 3/5 time as an acquisitions editor for Westminster John Knox Press, which is a great fit for my academic background and my interests in biblical studies, theology, and religion & popular culture. (These are the people who brought us Mark Pinsky's The Gospel According to the Simpsons and other fine books.) WJK is a terrific and stable company with super people who love books. I am honored to be joining their team, and also glad that I can continue working from home less than full-time. (I am beginning work on a new book of my own, a major study of Mormon adolescence in America. It's going to take a good deal of time and travel to conduct the surveys and interviews.)

I have been itching for several years now to get into acquisitions or agenting. I want to be part of nourishing good books from the very beginning of the process. I have loved my work with PW, but it's time to take Andy Crouch's suggestion and stop merely critiquing culture and start actually creating some. (BTW, check out his new book Culture Making. It's fantastic, and I say this as a completely impartial bystander, not at all swayed by the fact that Andy sang at my wedding.)

I'll have three weeks off to rest, catch up on scrapbooking (as if), get over-involved in Olympic spectating and work more on my book proposal before I start my new position in August. Thanks so much to all of you who have been nothing short of inspirational to me in my PW job. I am privileged to still get to work with many of you and see you at trade shows and conferences. After nearly a decade in the business, I still can't believe we actually get paid for this.