Jennifer Baker, production editor at Teachers College Press in New York, was named PW Star Watch Superstar at a party at Marquee New York in Manhattan on September 18.
"I believe that all of us—in this room, this industry, and this climate—strive to effect progress and inclusivity, and to preserve safe spaces for everybody, not just the chosen few," Baker said upon accepting the award. "I sincerely thank everyone in this space for the work they do and the work we'll continue doing to create and sustain a representative industry."
While Baker’s work as production editor at Teachers College Press is her principal job, she is involved in numerous other publishing industry–adjacent lines of work. Baker is the creator and host of the podcast Minorities in Publishing, a contributing editor to Electric Literature and editor of the short story collection Everyday People: The Color of Life—A Short Anthology (Atria), and a volunteer staff member of the I, Too, Arts Collective, based in the Langston Hughes House in Harlem. She is also a writer.
Baker previously volunteered with We Need Diverse Books, and conducted workshops at the Southampton Writers Conference in New York State and the Emerging Writers Festival in Alexandria, Va., this past summer. She was also the recipient of the 2017 NYCSA/NYFA Artist Fellowship and a 2017 Queens Council on the Arts New Work Grant for her in-progress essay collection.
"The range of activities that Jenn is involved with is very impressive," said Jim Milliot, editorial director of PW. "With her passion and energy, she is a great example of the kind of person who will move publishing forward."
The Star Watch event was attended by roughly 200 members of the publishing community, according to PW senior marketing director Krista Rafanello. The event marked the fifth anniversary of the PW Star Watch program.
As part of winning the award, Baker will travel to the Frankfurt Book Fair (Frankfurter Buchmesse) in Germany this October. The trip to the fair is underwritten by Frankfurter Buchmesse, partners with PW in the Star Watch program.
