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We’re Wildly Excited to Welcome Nicole Cliffe to the Electric Literature Board of Directors
The co-founder of the Toast knows all about making literature relevant, exciting, and accessible
Electric Literature is thrilled to announce the addition of its newest board member: writer and co-founder of The Toast, Nicole Cliffe.
Electric Literature’s mission is to make literature relevant, exciting, and accessible in every sense of the word, and as an organization run by women, is also committed to publishing work by diverse and feminist voices.
“I’m thrilled and excited to be joining the board of Electric Literature, an organization that cares as much as I do about bringing great writing to everyone. I’ve loved the voices that Electric Lit has been showcasing, many of whom I remember having my hair blown back by at The Toast (in a good way!), and I’m looking forward to getting to work!” said Cliffe.
Cliffe’s appointment comes two years after Halimah Marcus was promoted to Executive Director, and four months after Jess Zimmerman joined as editor-in-chief. Jennifer Baker, creator and host of the Minorities in Publishing podcast and a 2017 NYSCA/NYFA fellow, also joined as a contributing editor in August to focus on craft, the publishing industry, and representation in literature. Since then, Electric Literature has published influential articles at the intersection of feminism, culture, and literature, including “What I don’t Tell My Students About the Husband Stitch” by Jane Dykema, an essay about Carmen Machado’s collection Her Body and Other Parties, which attracted half a million readers.
What I Don’t Tell My Students About ‘The Husband Stitch’
Cliffe will join board members Andy Hunter, Electric Lit’s co-founder and publisher of Catapult and Lit Hub, acclaimed novelists Michael Cunningham and Lev Grossman, Bookforum publisher Danielle McConnell, the vice president and executive editor of HarperCollins, Sara Nelson, and the vice president and executive editor of Farrar Straus and Giroux, Sean McDonald.
Along with her co-founder Mallory Ortberg, Cliffe’s legacy at The Toast, which ran from 2013 to 2016, was one of smart humor and feminist inclusivity. On The Toast’s last day of publication, Hillary Clinton contributed to the site to thank the founders for creating “spaces where women can speak their minds freely.” Although nothing can replace The Toast in the hearts of its millions of readers, Cliffe’s guidance will help Electric Lit provide a space for inclusive and progressive work about literature, without losing a sense of fun.
