"13 Reasons Why" author expelled from writers organization

Post by David
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/thirteen-reasons-why-author-expelled-writer-organization-harassment-1084172
'13 Reasons Why' Author Expelled From Writer Organization Over
Harassment
by the Associated Press
Best-selling children's author Jay Asher has been expelled from a
prominent writers organization because of allegations about sexual
harassment.
Lin Oliver, executive director of the Society of Children's Book
Writers and Illustrators, told the Associated Press on Monday that
Asher had violated the society's harassment code. He was banned last
year but the news only came to light with the rise of the #MeToo
movement. Asher and prize-winning illustrator David Diaz, who was also
kicked out of the organization, were mentioned frequently in a recent
comment thread on School Library Journal about harassment in
children's publishing.
"Both Jay Asher and David Diaz were found to have violated the SCBWI
code of conduct in regard to harassment," Oliver wrote in an email.
"Claims against them were investigated and, as a result, they are no
longer members and neither will be appearing at any SCBWI events in
the future."
Asher told BuzzFeed News on Monday that he left voluntarily and felt
that he had been "thrown under the bus."

Being 'expelled from a writers' organization'? That seems like blacklisting, right?

Obveeus

2018-02-13 13:22:37 UTC

I'd love to know what form this harassment took. For some reason, I'm
picturing a couple of guys walking around a room full of women asking
each of them 'what was the mostly horrible thing that happened to you as
a teenager?'

David

2018-02-13 16:28:52 UTC

Post by Obveeus
I'd love to know what form this harassment took. For some reason, I'm
picturing a couple of guys walking around a room full of women asking
each of them 'what was the mostly horrible thing that happened to you as
a teenager?'

Sounds like a misguided team-building weekend seminar.

Obveeus

2018-02-13 16:52:50 UTC

Sounds like a misguided team-building weekend seminar.

I hunted down the original article/comment section that started this and
most of the complaints seemed to be about Diaz rather than Asher:

http://www.slj.com/2018/01/industry-news/childrens-publishing-reckons-sexual-harassment-ranks/#_

Mixed in with the complaints about Asher is jealous vindictive stuff
about how it is unfair that he wins awards in a forum where most of the
people are female.

The vast majority of the comments are simply about how all women should
be believed because no woman would ever have a reason to lie about
anything regarding sexual harassment. There are a number of comments
that seem to be along the lines of 'these guys were always surrounded by
attractive women looking to get book deals rather than by people like
me'. There are some comments about the two men using these gatherings
in a predatory manner, but every claim is very vague and half the claims
are simply people getting angry at those defending the men and claiming
that people who had good experiences around those men were actually just
cultivated as part of the male strategy to get away with abusing
others...so, now, if you are nice and respectful towards women it is
'proof' that you are just doing it to build cover for the times when you
are disrespectful.

Presumably the writer's conference did some internal investigation where
they heard something more definitive that what is being offered in the
comments section linked above that ignited this.

Dimensional Traveler

2018-02-13 19:11:14 UTC

Sounds like a misguided team-building weekend seminar.

I hunted down the original article/comment section that started this and
http://www.slj.com/2018/01/industry-news/childrens-publishing-reckons-sexual-harassment-ranks/#_
Mixed in with the complaints about Asher is jealous vindictive stuff
about how it is unfair that he wins awards in a forum where most of the
people are female.
The vast majority of the comments are simply about how all women should
be believed because no woman would ever have a reason to lie about
anything regarding sexual harassment. There are a number of comments
that seem to be along the lines of 'these guys were always surrounded by
attractive women looking to get book deals rather than by people like
me'. There are some comments about the two men using these gatherings
in a predatory manner, but every claim is very vague and half the claims
are simply people getting angry at those defending the men and claiming
that people who had good experiences around those men were actually just
cultivated as part of the male strategy to get away with abusing
others...so, now, if you are nice and respectful towards women it is
'proof' that you are just doing it to build cover for the times when you
are disrespectful.
Presumably the writer's conference did some internal investigation where
they heard something more definitive that what is being offered in the
comments section linked above that ignited this.

If this organization is dominated by female writers, then probably not.

--
Inquiring minds want to know while minds with a self-preservation
instinct are running screaming.

Obveeus

2018-02-13 20:11:27 UTC

Post by Dimensional Traveler

Sounds like a misguided team-building weekend seminar.

I hunted down the original article/comment section that started this
http://www.slj.com/2018/01/industry-news/childrens-publishing-reckons-sexual-harassment-ranks/#_
Mixed in with the complaints about Asher is jealous vindictive stuff
about how it is unfair that he wins awards in a forum where most of
the people are female.
The vast majority of the comments are simply about how all women
should be believed because no woman would ever have a reason to lie
about anything regarding sexual harassment. There are a number of
comments that seem to be along the lines of 'these guys were always
surrounded by attractive women looking to get book deals rather than
by people like me'. There are some comments about the two men using
these gatherings in a predatory manner, but every claim is very vague
and half the claims are simply people getting angry at those defending
the men and claiming that people who had good experiences around those
men were actually just cultivated as part of the male strategy to get
away with abusing others...so, now, if you are nice and respectful
towards women it is 'proof' that you are just doing it to build cover
for the times when you are disrespectful.
Presumably the writer's conference did some internal investigation
where they heard something more definitive that what is being offered
in the comments section linked above that ignited this.

If this organization is dominated by female writers, then probably not.

But the women in charge of the organization are supposedly the same
'traitors' that kept giving Asher all the awards for the daily writing
contests. So, they were on his side at least for awhile over the
teeming women.

Dimensional Traveler

2018-02-13 22:04:54 UTC

Post by Dimensional Traveler

Sounds like a misguided team-building weekend seminar.

I hunted down the original article/comment section that started this
http://www.slj.com/2018/01/industry-news/childrens-publishing-reckons-sexual-harassment-ranks/#_
Mixed in with the complaints about Asher is jealous vindictive stuff
about how it is unfair that he wins awards in a forum where most of
the people are female.
The vast majority of the comments are simply about how all women
should be believed because no woman would ever have a reason to lie
about anything regarding sexual harassment. There are a number of
comments that seem to be along the lines of 'these guys were always
surrounded by attractive women looking to get book deals rather than
by people like me'. There are some comments about the two men using
these gatherings in a predatory manner, but every claim is very vague
and half the claims are simply people getting angry at those
defending the men and claiming that people who had good experiences
around those men were actually just cultivated as part of the male
strategy to get away with abusing others...so, now, if you are nice
and respectful towards women it is 'proof' that you are just doing it
to build cover for the times when you are disrespectful.
Presumably the writer's conference did some internal investigation
where they heard something more definitive that what is being offered
in the comments section linked above that ignited this.

If this organization is dominated by female writers, then probably not.

But now the teeming women have spoken and they must show gender
solidarity! Because if they don't they'll get voted out of their
positions of petty power.

--
Inquiring minds want to know while minds with a self-preservation
instinct are running screaming.

anim8rfsk

2018-02-13 22:08:12 UTC

Sounds like a misguided team-building weekend seminar.

I hunted down the original article/comment section that started this and
http://www.slj.com/2018/01/industry-news/childrens-publishing-reckons-sexual-h
arassment-ranks/#_
Mixed in with the complaints about Asher is jealous vindictive stuff
about how it is unfair that he wins awards in a forum where most of the
people are female.
The vast majority of the comments are simply about how all women should
be believed because no woman would ever have a reason to lie about
anything regarding sexual harassment. There are a number of comments
that seem to be along the lines of 'these guys were always surrounded by
attractive women looking to get book deals rather than by people like
me'. There are some comments about the two men using these gatherings
in a predatory manner, but every claim is very vague and half the claims
are simply people getting angry at those defending the men and claiming
that people who had good experiences around those men were actually just
cultivated as part of the male strategy to get away with abusing
others...so, now, if you are nice and respectful towards women it is
'proof' that you are just doing it to build cover for the times when you
are disrespectful.
Presumably the writer's conference did some internal investigation where
they heard something more definitive that what is being offered in the
comments section linked above that ignited this.

The article sounds like the investigation turned up something, but the
actual quotes sound like the act of opening an investigation is enough
to declare a guilty verdict, no matter what the actual outcome.

--
Join your old RAT friends at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1688985234647266/

The Horny Goat

2018-02-13 23:53:19 UTC

So would I.

For myself it would be an unexpected zit before a hot date when I was
16.

Or two years later when I got dumped by the girl I was most serious
about (until years later when I met my wife in grad school). Didn't
date for nearly a year after that. And shed a few tears like most 18
year old guys who thought they'd lost the love of their life. ("so for
at least until tomorrow I'll never fall in love again)

[Guess I was serious about her after all since every year on her
birthday I remember her and say a prayer for her safety and happiness
even though it's been 30 years since I've heard anything at all out of
her.]

Unless he's being unusually creepy or persistent I don't see how
that's harassment.

b***@gmail.com

2018-02-14 06:54:11 UTC