Famed author Joshua Wolf Shenk was the subject of MULTIPLE inappropriate behavior complaints at University of Nevada since 2015 - before naked Zoom incident where he took a bath and flashed his genitals

The embattled essayist was the talk of the Internet after exposing his genitals to Zoom colleagues in February
Current and former colleagues have since come forward to share uncomfortable encounters with Shenk
He resigned from his position at the Black Mountain Institute shortly after giving his colleagues a view of his private parts
Recent news reports are leveling new accusations at Shenk, who could not be reached for comment

Published: 02:22 BST, 19 August 2021 | Updated: 03:14 BST, 19 August 2021

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Celebrated author Joshua Wolf Shenk - who resigned from a prestigious posting at the University of Nevada after flashing his genitals during a Zoom call - has been hit by fresh allegations of sleazy behavior, according to news reports.

Shenk, who served as editor-in-chief at Believer magazine and artistic and executive director of the university's Black Mountain Institute, called it quits in February after exposing himself to about a dozen colleagues during an online meeting.

He had been employed at the BMI, an international literary hub at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, since 2015.

Although Shenk left his old gig behind, scandals continue to plague him.

The embattled essayist has been the subject of numerous inappropriate behavior complaints since joining Black Mountain Institute in 2015. The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday that it interviewed more than 20 people, including employees and students, who indicated Shenk's tenure at the university was at times unseemly.

Female staffers at the university have lodged complains to the facility at least four times, The Times reported, while three others complained about a hostile atmosphere.

Shenk made headlines for all the wrong reasons after exposing himself to colleagues during a Zoom conference call

He resigned shortly after the awkward incident, but insisted he did not intentionally flash fellow Zoom attendees

A woman who met Shenk through the University of Nevada's Las Vegas campus said she agreed to join him for lunch in 2016, and later agreed to a dinner date, the Times detailed. She turned down a later invitation, and was subsequently hounded more than 10 times to meet up with Shenk again.

She told the Times he would occasionally wrap his arm around her, and once touched her neck.

According to the woman's account, his behavior became more aggressive during a 2018 event, when Shenk approached her from behind and caressed her shoulders. She told the times she grabbed his hands and pushed them away.

Lorinda Toledo says she was pressured into exchanging weird, single-finger handshakes with Shenk

Al Hastings, a master of fine arts student who identifies as nonbinary, told the times they met Shenk during a 2016 party, where he slung his arm around Hastings’ should and posed “really person questions.”

That same year, Lorinda Toledo, a UNLV PhD student and BMI fellow, told a faculty member about Shenk's 'strange' handshakes. He would approach her with an extended pinky or pointer finger and wouldn't put it down until she gave him a pinky handshake or touched his pointer finger with hers.

Others spoke to the Times in support of Shenk, saying he was socially awkward and was diagnosed by his therapist with autism spectrum disorder.

Shenk's work has been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Harper's Magazine, and more. His first book, Lincoln's Melancholy, which examined former president Abraham Lincoln's depression, was listed as a New York Times notable book. He later penned The Powers of Two, which argues that creativity best flourishes in pairs, and the book became a national bestseller.

Literary agent Ira Silverberg says Shenk didn't mean to give his colleagues a shock when he stepped out of the bath, naked from the waist down, to recharge his computer

The award-winning writer has received prizes from The Abraham Lincoln Institute, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, and the National Mental Health Association.

Although his work has been highly praised, his personal life continues to be a source of concern.

In February, Shenk stood up during a Zoom call and exposed himself to about a dozen staffers from Believer magazine and the Black Mountain Institute, the Los Angeles Times reported. He later resigned from the position.

Shenk's literary agent, Ira Silverberg, told the Los Angeles Times that he was soaking in a bath to relieve nerve pain related to fibromyalgia during the Zoom call.

Symptoms of fibromyalgia include muscle pain and tenderness, as well as fatigue, memory, and mood issues.

Silverberg said Shenk hadn't meant to flash his colleagues, but did so inadvertently when he rose from the bathtub to charge his computer without turning the camera off or grabbing a towel. He was wearing a mesh shirt, Silverberg said, and had been a virtual backdrop to his location.

Shortly after the now-infamous bathtub incident, both current and former staffers of Shenk came forward with unflattering accounts of his behavior.

Months after that incident, Shenk's employees came forward to say Shenk had a reputation for 'making women uncomfortable.' Both current and former staffers told Vice that the writer had a reputation for troublesome behavior, and that the flashing incident was no 'random accident.'

Four current staffers told Vice that he made female staffers deeply uncomfortable, but none said he had sexually harassed them.

'He doesn't seem to be aware of his body or of other people's comfort or reality,' one staffer told Vice.

Before the bathtub scandal, Shenk was editor-and-chief of The Believer, a magazine containing interviews, essays, and reviews

Shenk responded to the accusations in an emailed statement to Vice that said that he needs to work on boundaries around both men and women.

'I'm often awkward around folks regardless of their gender, and I own that,' he said. 'In imaginative spaces, you've got to balance deep appreciation for people's boundaries with openness and creative risks. For any times I got that balance wrong, though, I want to learn from them and make amends.'

Shenk did not respond to a Mail Online request for comment by deadline.