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| Gayatri Patnaik | |
Gayatri Patnaik has been named director of Beacon Press, effective July 30, after longtime director Helene Atwan retires.
Patnaik has worked at Beacon, a department of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), for 20 years, as editorial director and most recently publisher. She earlier held editorial positions at Rob Weisbach Books/William Morrow, Routledge and Palgrave. She joined Beacon because, she said, "I wanted a publishing home where I could grow intellectually and bring my full self as a Brown, queer immigrant. I wanted to publish books I felt connected to and be part of a movement bigger than myself. I found all that and more at Beacon, through our books and through the richness of the community--our visionary authors, generations of talented Beacon staff and the UUA. I am grateful for Helene's support and incredibly honored to lead this historic press."
Patnaik has expanded and diversified Beacon's list by acquiring 200 books, and publishing authors from BIPOC, queer and immigrant communities, including Imani Perry, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Cornel West, Kate Bornstein, Jeanne Theoharis and Marcus Rediker. She has developed books in the King Legacy series by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and has created and launched three series including Queer Action/Queer Ideas and ReVisioning History. Patnaik was awarded the Editorial Excellence Award by the Biographers International Organization in 2020.
UUA president Susan Frederick-Gray and executive v-p Carey McDonald said, "The hiring process has only affirmed our high level of confidence in Gayatri's leadership. We believe unequivocally that she is the right choice for Beacon's next director."
Helene Atwan, who has led the Press for 26 years, added, "Hiring Gayatri was the best decision I ever made. I am just thrilled to have her taking over. The press simply could not be in better hands."