An update to the members
On Tuesday, August 4th, The National Book Critics Circle elected David Varno (former VP, Tech) as the next President of the organization. David will replace Jane Ciabattari who had been serving as acting President. Gregg Barrios also ran for President and, while he didn't win a majority of the vote, the entire board thanks him for his service to the organization and applaud his continued work as VP of Diversity and Inclusion. We hope you will join the board in recognizing Jane for her service as acting President and thanking David for serving as President during this unique and challenging time.
Next week, the NBCC will call a general member meeting to discuss revisions to our bylaws and our next steps as an organization. The proposed bylaws can be found at this link and highlighted changes are found here.
Below you will find the minutes from the meeting. Please reach out to David Varno at info@bookcritics.org or myself at membership@bookcritics.org.
Thank you,
Richard Santos
VP, Membership
NBCC BOARD MEETING MINUTES Aug 4 2020
The meeting began at 4:05pm.
Present: Marion Winik, Stephanie Burt, Diego Baez, Rod Davis, Jane Ciabattari, Megan Labrise, Harriet Washington, Justin Rosier, Elizabeth Taylor, Rigoberto Gonzalez, Richard Santos, Carlin Romano, Michael Schaub, Colette Bancroft, David Varno, Tara Merrigan, Oscar Villalon, Gregg Barrios, Ismail Muhammad, Chelsea Leu, Lori Feathers, Ben Olguin.
The board discussed whether to audio record Zoom meetings. Privacy concerns vs accurate records of meetings to resolve factual disputes. Marion Winik agreed to create audio recordings. The motion passed by show of hands with no nays.
Jane C called the meeting to order. Jane discussed our “point of cultural reckoning” as a country; “the NBCC is a little piece” of that. Our discussions “are raising multiple issues” of importance to our culture. “Book critics have opinions” and are often disputatious. “That’s who we are. I took the Acting President role at a time of crisis in June to help the NBCC evolve to serve its membership and a new generation of critics.” Jane described her role as like that of an umpire, keeping discussion going, pointing out the rules, rather than taking sides.
Gregg discussed Gregg’s proposal, earlier today, that we postpone the election of an NBCC president. Gregg feels he has been “continually badgered” and has had to defend himself and his candidacy against misleading or false information. Gregg argues that he “was not listened to in a cordial way by the directors,” “especially during the time of the anti-racist statement.”
Gregg moved to postpone the election of the NBCC President “until we can clarify this and discuss a suitable remedy.”
Carlin asked whether Gregg would stand as a candidate for President if his motion failed. Gregg said that he would.
Ben Olguin seconded Gregg’s motion.
Marion indicated that her email records do not show extensive defenses from Gregg.
Stephanie indicated her opposition to the motion on formal grounds, since it does not make clear when the postponed election would be held.
Gregg asked whether the motion could be tabled. It could, but in the absence of a further motion, we would then go on to elect a President, rendering the motion moot.
Ben indicated that he wanted clarity on the eligibility requirement. How do we determine eligibility?
Jane addressed Ben’s question. “For probably the first 40 years” NBCC elections were not contested; instead, candidacies were discussed behind the scenes and then unanimously voted in. “Several presidencies ago” the board discussed transparency and the merits of contested elections. Jane: “I researched the last several presidencies and used the language used the last several times” presidents were elected, asking candidates for “statements of intent to run.” Two statements emerged by the deadline of July 31. Meanwhile the board’s email thread included nominations (not statements).
Jane checked the bylaws to determine eligibility for the persons nominated. Jane stated the bylaw on term limits that called into question Gregg’s eligibility, received incorrect information from a former president, and corrected herself when she realized her mistake. Jane then provided the board with up to date information about our terms. Jane points out that she has some experience with bylaws: Overseas Press Club, The Writers Grotto (SFCA), previous NBCC updates. Bylaws are important. We should heed legal advice. The board may choose to amend bylaws but we need to know what they are and what we have done in the past. Jane did not purposely cast aspersions on any candidate.
Rigoberto requested clarification on David Varno’s eligibility.
Jane indicated that David is eligible: he cycles off in March 2022. Gregg cycles off in March 2021, which would normally make him ineligible. We could of course vote to amend the bylaws today before electing the President, making Gregg or anyone else eligible.
Marion asked Carlin to explain the bylaw regarding eligibility. Carlin appeared to endorse Jane’s description of the relation between term limits and eligibility for offices.
Carlin also indicated that the President can only be elected as per bylaws at the March meeting: we would not be able to elect a president without amending the bylaws or voting to override the bylaws anyway! Carlin suggests we vote to determine that both David and Gregg are eligible and may hold additional one-year terms and then elect a President. Carlin also points out that we can elect a president to fill the unexpired term of the previous President; this President’s term would run until March (when Gregg’s term expires).
David asked why he would need to run for a one-year term if he’s on the board until March 2022 anyway. Marion clarified Carlin’s suggestion.
Gregg withdrew his motion.
Tara asked Jane and Marion to explain the difference between calendar years and NBCC cycles in the bylaws. Jane explained that the difference between calendar years and NBCC cycles arose only because we are voting for President at an odd time; normally we’d be doing the voting in March.
Stephanie and Carlin spoke about the wording of what both understood to be Carlin’s upcoming motion regarding the election for President.
Rod asked whether Carlin’s motion, if passed, would affect candidates’ eligibility for future offices. Jane said that it would not.
Rod indicated that he would not put a motion on the floor regarding the election.
Jane apologized for any confusion about eligibility and bylaws in the past several weeks, and made clear that she had acted in good faith in order to put relevant information before the board.
Carlin indicated that any president elected under his proposal would be a President not an Acting President. Carlin also indicated that David Varno was eligible to run for another term, despite having been appointed, not elected, initially.
Carlin moved 1. “that we deem both Gregg and David eligible for a one year term, serving until March 2021, according to our understanding of the bylaws”; 2. “that we discuss the relative merits of the candidates before we vote.” Stephanie and Rod seconded.
Justin asked whether there’s any difference between an acting president and a president. Jane answered that an acting president role was an interim measure resulting from mass resignations in June.
Jane called the question. Carlin pointed out that his motion does not constitute an amendment to the bylaws. The motion carried 19 to 0.
Jane removed Rod’s proposal, now moot, from the agenda.
We discussed the relative merits of the two candidates for President, Gregg and David.
Rod spoke in favor of Gregg’s candidacy on the grounds that Gregg is very qualified and that he would be the first nonwhite NBCC president.
Rod’s nomination of Gregg for President was taken as read. Marion asked Gregg to describe his plans for the next six months.
Gregg described his long years of devotion to the NBCC and his goal of making the organization, and publishing generally, more inclusive; earlier in his NBCC service publishers and critics were not sensitive to all- or mostly-white lists. “We are no longer there.” Things have improved. We gave a lifetime achievement award to Arte Público Press. This award encouraged young Latinx writers and critics. Young people of color became NBCC members; this new membership affected award winners this year. Our mission is to be equitable and responsive. We have more POC on our board. Gregg also chaired the Leonard Award.
Gregg described his arrangements to make sure Katy Waldman received her 2020 NBCC prize money despite the cancelled awards ceremony.
Gregg suggests that new members’ names and addresses should be on the board’s section of the website.
Gregg believes that the Balakian and the Leonard awards should continue this year but that “we need to fast-track, if you will, our access for the new members” and “get their feelings about publishers that give them a sense of inclusion.”
Marion nominated David Varno for President and suggested that Lori speak.
Lori spoke to David Varno’s efforts on behalf of the NBCC in tech and elsewhere over the past several years. She indicated that David “reads everything, all the time,” including small presses and work in translation; he has “brought a lot of books to the attention of our selection committees, and a lot of those are minorities.”
Lori praises David’s “democratic and liberal and transparent approach of dealing with the membership.” He has also “thought a lot about the diversity and inclusion statement and the action plan.” This plan has not been implemented so far.
David spoke to his own candidacy. “Everything I plan to do and everything I think is necessary is outlined in the statement shared over email.” It’s all about the board’s relationship to the members of the NBCC. We don’t have the member relations that we need. “At some point the members became an afterthought.” We need to address that.
Ismail, Harriet, Marion, Carlin in speaking queue.
Ismail: “David is committed to the plans in the diversity statement. He has a concrete plan to modernize the organization.” He is indeed a diverse and sensitive reader.
Harriet: “It would be a mistake to endorse anyone because of the optics” of candidate of color vs white candidate, but it’s important to have someone able to “cast a wider literary net.” Gregg has already done a great deal of that.
Marion: “The job of president is a lot of intense detail work. David has been the heart of what kept us going. In my process of running around begging resigned board members to come back there is no one I begged harder. Even if David is not our president we will be asking him a lot of questions. David is a connection between old NBCC and new NBCC. He is really tied in to all the activism.” His ability to bring more people in seems more important than appearances.
Stephanie suggested that the qualifications of these two candidates mapped onto Presidential and Prime Ministerial duties and that we might be able to divide these duties up such that one person holds the title of President this year and the other does not.
Carlin suggested that this solution could not be implemented this year, and that David should “wait your turn.” “It’s a seven-month position.” “Be gracious and give Gregg the honor of being president of the NBCC for another seven months.”
David: “I don’t see the presidency as an honor; I see it as a grueling responsibility. Many presidents have regretted taking the role. It’s not something that I look forward to doing.”
Ben: “Gregg has navigated multiple canons. He’s done the work in developing new canons and recognizing new genres and discourses even as he has fully engaged the standard hegemonic canon.” He’s a Tennessee Williams scholar. Ben takes issue with Lori’s earlier claim that Gregg’s term as diversity officer produced no progress. Ben also takes issue with the claim that a white person would be the best person to diversify an organization.
Jane called on Harriet and then indicated that we would need a vote after Harriet spoke.
Harriet: “I’ve been troubled by the continued references to needing a person of color who’s visible at the helm. That’s insulting. You’re at the helm because you deserve to be there, not because you’re a person of color.” “It’s important to acknowledge people’s achievements.”
Jane called the question. The board voted on the office of President via anonymous on-screen ballots.
Marion counted the votes. David received 13 votes, including the vote of the meeting host (not electronically recorded), Gregg 8 votes. One person present did not vote.
Jane: “I look forward to stepping back into my vice president of events—or should I say virtual events--role. I’m feeling hopeful about the NBCC’s future.”
Chair status for this meeting passed from Jane to David.
David spoke to his incoming presidency. “I don’t want to take credit for the work that I did with the working group for the anti-racism statement,” nor to blow his own horn as a supporter of diversity based on the books that he reads. “All I can do is state my commitment.”
Elizabeth thanked Gregg for his work over years. Elizabeth: “We need a new kind of structure. The President’s job is too huge for one person.”
Colette agreed to serve as Secretary. Stephanie seconded. The Board elected Colette to the position of Secretary by 21-0.
Marion discussed the nature of VP/Awards, which involves event planning for ceremonies. “It’s a hard job for about three months and for the rest of the time it’s not a hard job.” No one volunteered.
We discussed whether a member not on the board could serve in this capacity.
Rigoberto, who has served as VP/Awards before, agreed to serve; Rigoberto and David agreed that Rigoberto should reach out to regular members for assistance on ceremonies.
David discussed VP/Tech, which he has done. We now have Amalie at Castle Builder, who handles web issues; the VP/Tech position is therefore much easier than it used to be. VP/Tech could absorb some of the work around payment processing that’s previously been done by the Treasurer.
Michael Schaub agreed to add VP/Tech to his existing portfolio as VP/Online.
At 5:55pm we discussed whether to move unfinished business to another meeting soon. Some board members had to leave beginning near 6pm. Unaddressed reports mentioned specifically included Gregg’s on diversity and Richard’s on membership. We could not assign committees until we decided whether to have awards, which requires another meeting. We agreed that David would organize a doodle poll for a board meeting next week at which awards and committees would be discussed, and that at least some of the reports might be disseminated via email.
The meeting adjourned at 6pm.
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