Helene Atwan's guest appearances

Helene Atwan

Boston Athenæum

The Biblio File hosted by Nigel Beale

Stephen Greenblatt

Robert Darnton

Donald Trump

Quentin Tarantino

Sarah McBride

Nicholson Baker

Tom Doherty

Stephen Kinzer

Harlan Coben

Richard Bell

Cory Doctorow

Sarah Parcak

Mary Norris

Yann Martel

Robert Gould

OwlTail

"Helene Atwan is the Director of Beacon Press, an independent non-profit book publisher founded in 1854. She began her publishing career in 1976 at Random House in New York as an assistant editor in their College Division, before moving to Alfred A. Knopf in 1977 as a publicity associate. She then joined The Viking Press in 1979 as the associate director of publicity. In 1981, she moved to Farrar, Straus and Giroux, where she began as the director of publicity. She also became a vice president of the house in 1987 and the associate publisher in 1991. In 1993, she joined the Pocket Books division of Simon &amp; Schuster as a vice president and director of marketing. She was appointed director of Beacon Press by the board of trustees of the Unitarian Universalists Association in October of 1995." We met at her offices in Boston to talk about Emerson and the history of the Beacon Press, plus its connection to the Unitarian Universalists; Helene's role with the press; social justice - slavery, reparations, inter-sectional issues, and the environment; about the price of paper, the function of design, and the process of editing books at Beacon; plus Victor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, and newly discovered Yes to Life, and much more. 

"Helene Atwan is the Director of <a href="http://www.beacon.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Beacon Press</a>, an independent non-profit book publisher founded in 1854. She began her publishing career in 1976 at Random House in New York as an assistant editor in their College Division, before moving to Alfred A. Knopf in 1977 as a publicity associate. She then joined The Viking Press in 1979 as the associate director of publicity. In 1981, she moved to Farrar, Straus and Giroux, where she began as the director of publicity. She also became a vice president of the house in 1987 and the associate publisher in 1991. In 1993, she joined the Pocket Books division of Simon &amp; Schuster as a vice president and director of marketing. She was appointed director of Beacon Press by the board of trustees of the Unitarian Universalists Association in October of 1995." We met at her offices in Boston to talk about Emerson and the history of the Beacon Press, plus its connection to the Unitarian Universalists; Helene's role with the press; social justice - slavery, reparations, inter-sectional issues, and the environment; about the price of paper, the function of design, and the process of editing books at Beacon; plus Victor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, and newly discovered Yes to Life, and much more.

Helene Atwan on the Beacon Press and its social justice mission

Ladette Randolph

Michael Reynolds

Meghna Chakrabarti

October 26, 2017 at the Boston Athenæum.For the reader, the world of books may seem a simple one: go to the local library or bookstore, select a title that suits our taste, open, and turn the pages. The story of the editors who shape the works we cherish is rarely told. What choices and challenges do these editors face? How do they perceive themselves and their role in the world today? How does their mission drive the works they publish? Join us for this rare opportunity to spend an evening with editors from New England’s most mission-driven publishing houses and journals. The panel— composed of Michael Reynolds, Editor-in-Chief of Europa Editions (the publishing house of Elena Ferrante); Helene Atwan, Director of Beacon Press; and Ladette Randolph, Editor-in-Chief of Ploughshares—will offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the creation of books and discuss the motivations and aspirations propelling those books into the marketplace. The panel will be moderated by Mehgna Chakrabarti, host of WBUR’s RadioBoston, Modern Love: The Podcast, and frequent moderator at the Boston Book Festival.

October 26, 2017 at the Boston Athenæum. For the reader, the world of books may seem a simple one: go to the local library or bookstore, select a title that suits our taste, open, and turn the pages. The story of the editors who shape the works we cherish is rarely told. What choices and challenges do these editors face? How do they perceive themselves and their role in the world today? How does their mission drive the works they publish? Join us for this rare opportunity to spend an evening with editors from New England’s most mission-driven publishing houses and journals. The panel— composed of Michael Reynolds, Editor-in-Chief of Europa Editions (the publishing house of Elena Ferrante); Helene Atwan, Director of Beacon Press; and Ladette Randolph, Editor-in-Chief of Ploughshares—will offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the creation of books and discuss the motivations and aspirations propelling those books into the marketplace. The panel will be moderated by Mehgna Chakrabarti, host of WBUR’s RadioBoston, Modern Love: The Podcast, and frequent moderator at the Boston Book Festival.

Helene Atwan, Ladette Randolph, Michael Reynolds, and Meghna Chakrabarti, “Editorial Perspectives”