Joy Press Appointed Books & Culture Editor at L.A. Times

By Jason Boog 

Joy Press has been promoted to the post of books and culture editor at the Los Angeles Times. The former deputy television editor tweeted the news: “So I have a new job! Bye bye TV, hello (again) books.”

Press has worked as a book critic and TV critic for the Village Voice, also serving as culture editor at Salon and the Voice. Here’s more about the appointment, from a memo sent by L.A. Times editor Davan Maharaj and assistant managing editor for features Alice Short:

Her presence will allow us to expand our coverage of publishing and literary culture, with a special emphasis on ramping up our digital content. Joy has been Calendar’s pop culture and deputy television editor for 2 1/2 years. During her tenure, she developed a Sunday TV page and played a major role in growing our successful Show Tracker blog, which doubled its readership and has become a key site for television news and series recaps.

In May, books editor Jon Thurber retired after more than forty years at the newspaper.