As PW first reported last week, Penguin Random House is expanding its internal Intellectual Freedom Taskforce with a key new public policy position. And this week, the publisher announced that Rosalie (Rosie) Stewart, most recently manager of grassroots communications for the American Library Association's Public Policy and Advocacy Office, will take on the position.
Stewart joins the PRH as senior manager for public policy, and will report directly to VP Skip Dye, who serves as chair of the PRH Intellectual Freedom Taskforce.
In a release, the publisher praised Stewart as “a skilled grassroots organizer with a passion for youth, LGBTQ+ advocacy, and championing the freedom to read,” with “extensive experience working at the federal, state, and local levels on issues including appropriations, intellectual freedom, and voting access.” Prior to her work at ALA, she cofounded MOVE Texas (Mobilize, Organize, Vote, Empower), an organization focused on empowering underrepresented youth communities through civic engagement, issue advocacy, and leadership development. She will be based in Washington, D.C.
Among the publishing community, PRH has been far and away the most active in defending the freedom to read, including active support in litigation in several states. But the creation of this new senior level post, which PRH reps say will focus on broadening the publisher's "participation in state and federal legislative efforts, building coalitions, and grassroots organizing,” is a major development, signaling the publisher’s intent to stake out a more proactive position upstream in the political process to fight book banning and anti-library legislation.
Notably, PRH officials stress that the publisher’s support for the freedom to read comes from the top, with CEO Nihar Malaviya's support for the freedom to read said to be “personal” and “unwavering.”
“The threat to books and reading is an essential topic that we needed to proactively address, not just for business reasons, but also for the broader societal implications,” PRH CEO Nihar Malaviya told PW when asked about the hire and the company’s work defending the freedom to read. “Based on my own personal experience, I know how important access to books in school and public libraries is. We want to do whatever we can to support our authors and illustrators, but also the teachers and librarians who have been at the forefront of this battle.”
Appropriately, Stewart will begin her work on Monday, September 23, during this year's Banned Books Week.
