After controversy, the National Book Critics Circle has announced its new board members.
One month after controversy over an anti-racism pledge led most board members of the National Book Critics Circle to resign, the organization has announced its newest slate of board members.
In June, a working committee led by Hope Wabuke drafted a pledge in response to the nationwide protests following George Floyd’s death. After board member Carlin Romano criticized the pledge, some of his colleagues attempted to remove him from the board. Romano threatened to sue in retaliation.
Five of the fifteen “new” board members are returning after their earlier resignation. The fifteen members, which include a mix of poets, novelists, essayists, and academics, are:
Diego Baez
Stephanie Burt
Rod Davis
Charles Finch
Rigoberto Gonzalez
Megan Labrise
Chelsea Leu
Tara Wanda Merrigan
Ismail Muhammad
Ben Olguín
J. Howard Rosier
Elizabeth Taylor
David Varno
Oscar Villalon
Harriet Washington
At the time of the NBCC’s announcement, more than 30 of the organization’s members were continuing to explore ways to legally remove Romano from the board.
