A group of authors, including Naomi Klein, Lorrie Moore, Zaina Arafat, Michelle Alexander, Isabella Hammad, and others, have decided not to participate in the Pen World Voices Festival in protest of Pen America’s “inadequate response” over the war in Gaza, Lit Hub reports. The authors had been confirmed as speakers, moderators, and an honorary co-chair. Details for this year’s festival had not been announced; the event typically takes place in New York and Los Angeles in April or May. In a letter announcing their decision to withdraw from the Pen festival, the writers said, “In the context of Israel’s ongoing war […]
Controversies
Hugos Administrator Censured, Resigned After Awards Controversy
Hugo Awards administrator Dave McCarty was censured by the awards governing body and resigned from his post after public outcry over a document that showed certain nominated works were “not eligible” for the awards. On Sunday, McCarty posted an apology to his personal Facebook page, where he had been posting updates about the awards and responding to queries–often rudely–about the awards statistics. “Most of my responses there were inappropriate, unprofessional, condescending, and a number were clearly insulting,” he wrote. “I made things worse.” Still, he declined to give further explanation on the awards. “The statement that the administration team has previously […]
Hugo Awards Statistics Raise Questions About ‘Ineligible’ Works
This weekend, a comprehensive document of voting statistics for the 2023 Hugo, Lodestar, and Astounding Awards was released—standard practice for the sci-fi awards that are given annually at the World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon). But as those in the sci-fi community looked into the details, they seem anything but standard. In June, many readers were surprised to see that R.F. Kuang’s BABEL—which won the Nebula and Locus awards—was not among the finalists for the Hugo Award for Best Novel. The newly-released document notes that BABEL, despite getting the third most nominating votes, was found ineligible for the award. It is unclear […]
Del Rey Removes Cait Corrain’s Book From 2024 Schedule Following Goodreads Controversy
Del Rey posted online that it has removed Cait Corrain’s debut CROWN OF STARLIGHT from next year’s publishing schedule, following a controversy in which Corrain created multiple Goodreads accounts to give other debut authors one-star reviews. Corrain’s book was set to be published on May 14. The publisher writes, “We are aware of the ongoing discussion around author Cait Corrain. CROWN OF STARLIGHT is no longer on our 2024 publishing schedule.” Corrain herself notes in a lengthy apology on Twitter that two of the writers she review bombed, Molly X. Chang and Danielle Jensen, were fellow Del Rey authors. Del […]
92NY Pauses Literary Series Amid Resignations
92NY has put its 2023-2024 literary series “on pause” amid staff resignations and author withdrawals. Unterberg Poetry Center director Sarah Chihaya and senior program coordinator Sophie Herron have both resigned following a controversy involving the author Viet Thanh Nguyen. Authors and critics including Christina Sharpe, Saidiya Hartman, Dionne Brand, Paisley Rekdal, and Andrea Long Chu had pulled out of their scheduled events. The controversy started when the organization cancelled (or at least postponed) a poetry center event featuring Nguyen on Friday, after Nguyen signed an open letter in London Review of Books criticizing Israel. The event was convened downtown at […]
92Y Cancels Viet Thanh Nguyen Event Over Israel Criticism
NYC’s 92Y abruptly cancelled an event featuring Viet Thanh Nguyen on Friday, after Nguyen signed an open letter in London Review of Books criticizing Israel. The event was to be a discussion with novelist Min Jin Lee about Nguyen’s new nonfiction book, A Man of Two Faces. 92Y claimed the event was only postponed, but Nguyen said he was notified that the event was cancelled, and organizer Bernard Schwartz, the director of the Y’s Unterberg Poetry Center, moved the event downtown to McNally Jackson. 92Y wrote in a statement on Saturday, “We are a Jewish institution that has always welcomed […]