Five of those dismissed yesterday were senior arts editors, including Christgau, who had been a music critic for the paper on and off since 1969. The other three employees were design staff, including Art Director Minh Uong. In a statement, Village Voice Media describes the layoffs as an effort "to reconfigure the editorial department to place an emphasis on writers as opposed to editors." David Blum, who was named the editor of the Voice three weeks ago, tells The New York Times, "It wouldn't have been appropriate for me to weigh in on these decisions before I even took over the job." Blum's first day is September 12.

Continue ReadingThe Village Voice Lays Off Eight, Including Robert Christgau

Blum (pictured) is a veteran New York journalist who has worked at Esquire, New York magazine, and The New York Times Magazine. He is also an adjunct professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and the author of two books: Flash in the Pan: The Life and Death of an American Restaurant and Tick... Tick... Tick...: The Long Life and Turbulent Times of 60 Minutes. In a press release, Blum says, "I believe in the limitless possibilities of weeklies, and in the power of narrative journalism to change the way people think and feel. ... I want New Yorkers to read the Voice, and to be moved, entertained, amused, confronted and compelled by what it has to say." His first day at the Voice will be Sept. 12.

Continue ReadingThe Village Voice Announces David Blum Is New Editor in Chief

The Emperor's Children, a not-yet-released novel by Claire Messud, has three central characters, including a book critic for The Village Voice who also temps to pay the bills. Sara Eckel, a real-life book critic for The Village Voice, calls the novel "a hypnotic, moving read," even though the "characters may seem overly familiar and noxious (well, except for the Voice critic)."

Continue ReadingNovel Describes ‘Not Quite Grown-Up’ Life of Village Voice Critic

The finalists in the National Association of Black Journalists' 2006 Salute to Excellence Awards were announced Friday, and six of the nine nominations in the "Newspaper - Circulation Under 150,000" division are Village Voice Media newspapers. The other three finalists are not alt-weeklies. Riverfront Times is the leader with three nominations: "Newspaper - Enterprise" for Randall Roberts' "It Was Just Like Beverly Hills"; "Newspaper - Sports" for Mike Seely's "Alley Cat"; and "Newspaper - Features" for Ben Westhoff's "Rap vs. Rapture." Dallas Observer has two contenders in the "Newspaper - Sports" category: Keven McAlester for "Balls Out" and Paul Kix for "Alone No More." Finally, Chuck Strouse of Miami New Times is nominated in the "Newspaper - Commentary" category for "Free this Priest." The awards recognize exemplary coverage of people or issues in the African diaspora. Winners will be announced August 19 at the NABJ convention in Indianapolis.

Continue ReadingVillage Voice Media Papers Dominate NABJ Finalists