David Kipen, the Malibu-dwelling book critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, is the new Director of Literature at the National Endowment for the Arts. Here's how the release explains it: "Among his new responsibilities, Kipen will design and lead national leadership initiatives, develop partnerships to advance the literature field, and recommend panelists and manage the review process for literature applications." It goes on:

National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Dana Gioia said, "The National Endowment for the Arts has a tradition of Literature Directors who have regarded literature as one of mankind's highest arts and most moving means of communication. David Kipen upholds that tradition with a wealth of knowledge and experience in the world of the written word. I know that he will not only carry on the great work of the NEA's Literature program, he will explore new ways of connecting Americans to great writing and great writers."

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Kipen joined the San Francisco Chronicle in 1998 as editor for the paper's Sunday "Book Review." He assigned and edited feature articles and reviews as well as wrote his own features, reviews, and column. Prior to working with the Chronicle, Kipen was the senior editor with Buzz magazine, editing and helping to write the "What's the Buzz?" section about his native Southern California. He is the editor and author of the forthcoming book The Schreiber Theory: A Radical Rewrite of Film History from Agee to Zaillian.

He begins September 6. * Clarifying: Kipen will be giving up the Overbooked segment on KCRW, Tuesdays at 4:44 p.m., and his regular gig on NPR's Day to Day. He also will relocate to Washington.