Closing Romance book magazine RT Book Reviews, as well as the RT Booklovers Convention, are shutting down effective immediately. Founder Kathryn Falk announced at the latest convention in Reno that she and her husband, co-owner Kevin Rubin are retiring and the Reno convention would be the last. The magazine will not produce any more issues, but will remain available online for a year, at which point it will be removed. Falk writes in a message to readers, “After 38 years, I am retiring and ending my participation in publishing. It was a great privilege to have a lifetime experience in […]
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Harassment Files: Bryce Milligan Accused Of Misconduct, And More
San Antonio author and publisher of Wings Press Bryce Milligan has been accused of sexual misconduct by Hailey Laine Johnson, his student from 2000 to 2002. In a Facebook post, Johnson alleges that when she was 14, a freshman at North East School of the Arts, Milligan made sexual comments to her on multiple occasions and sexually assaulted her. She writes in part: “he’d kiss my neck when no one was looking, he’d have me sit on his lap while he graded homework.” Johnson goes on, “I did not have the strength to tell him no or to stop because of […]
Harassment Files: Diaz Steps Down As Pulitzer Chair, As Board Investigates; More from Naffis-Sahely
Following recent allegations, Pulitzer Prize board administrator Dana Canedy released a statement about Junot Diaz, who had been elected chairman at the April meeting. The board is conducting “an independent review of allegations of misconduct” and in the meantime, Diaz has “asked to relinquish” his role as chairman, though he remains on the board. The full statement: “The Pulitzer Prize Board has authorized an independent review of allegations of misconduct against one of its own members, Junot Diaz. Mr. Diaz said he welcomed the review and would cooperate fully with it. Mr. Diaz was elected incoming chairman at the board’s […]
Penguin UK Editor Accused of Sexual Misconduct
Penguin UK editor Donald Futers was accused of sexual misconduct by poet AK Blakemore. Blakemore wrote on Twitter in an attached statement: “I first met Donald Futers, Penguin’s Poetry Editor, at a reading in London in the Autumn of 2015 I attended with my then partner. A few months later, after a second reading, Donald & I exchanged numbers and planned to meet to discuss my work. The evening of that meeting he assaulted me. We had both been drinking. I disclosed what had happened at the time to my partner and a few close friends.” Blakemore writes that she decided […]
Junot Diaz Accused of Misconduct, and Responds, “I Take Responsibility for My Past”
Junot Diaz was accused of inappropriate behavior by author Zinzi Clemmons on Friday, writing on Twitter: “As a grad student, I invited Junot Diaz to speak to a workshop on issues of representation in literature. I was an unknown wide-eyed 26 yo, and he used it as an opportunity to corner and forcibly kiss me. I’m far from the only one he’s done this 2, I refuse to be silent anymore.” Clemmons posted online after questioning Diaz from the audience at a Q&A session at the Sydney Writers’ Festival, where both were speaking. “This was my question [she wrote later […]
Harper’s Magazine Fires Editor James Marcus
Subsequent to our brief note from Monday that Harper’s Magazine editor James Marcus has left the publication, Marcus tells PL that he was fired on Friday afternoon, for “opposing the publication of Katie Roiphe’s cover story in the March issue.” The article, “The Other Whisper Network: How Twitter feminism is bad for women,” drew criticism online in January before it was published, over suggestions that Roiphe intended to reveal the identity of the creator of the “Sh—y Media Men” list. That controversy led to the list’s creator Moira Donegan identifying herself in her own article for The Cut. Marcus gave us […]