36 - RWA Controversy and You

In this episode, we attempt to dig into a story circulating about Racism and the Romance Writers of America. We're going to talk about what happened, how the news broke, and the community backlash that was fueled by social media and message boards within the community.

This story is continually evolving. Because of that, we've included updated links in our show notes about the specifics (the formal complaints and rulings), what has transpired in the last three weeks (timeline), and some very vocal writers and publishers who made public statements against the ruling.

We also discuss why this is important to ALL WRITERS, not just those writing romance, and how to deal with the fear or discomfort of living in a world where folks may call out racism and discrimination.

Resources:

Most In-Depth Article on the RWA Crisis of 2019

https://jezebel.com/inside-the-spectacular-implosion-at-the-romance-writers-1841002358

NPR Story

https://www.npr.org/2020/01/04/793572217/racism-scandal-in-the-romance-writing-industry?fbclid=IwAR1OEBC_xthpF52mUgaVSDKuLsQZ1OtJhJEb4OkQIhTKoBySr7-PXUGFQm4

Nora Roberts Statement

https://fallintothestory.com/my-pov-on-rwa/

NY Times Article

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/30/books/courtney-milan-romance-writers-america.html

Alyssa Cole Twitter Thread - which includes the original complaints and board findings that she made public and went viral on 12/24.

https://twitter.com/AlyssaColeLit/status/1209280219175100422?s=20