A Tragic Fall From Grace: RWA’s Public Implosion.
Romance. Writers. Of. America.
If you’ve been anywhere near social media over the last two weeks, then you’ve probably heard about all of the drama unfolding. From casual readers to award-winning authors, everyone who has even a slight connection to #Romancelandia has had some opinion on this whole situation.
Not sure what I’m talking about? Don’t worry; I got you.
The Background
Back in August, yes several months ago, author, Courtney Milan, posted a series of tweets that took to task companies that employed the services of Sue Grimshaw, a former buyer for Borders and a current, as of this article, acquisitions editor of author Suzan Tisdale’s publishing company. More on that later.
Grimshaw has a history in this industry of being racially insensitive or, in some people’s opinion, a goddamn racist. As a buyer and editor, she was in a gatekeeper position that allowed her to make or break authors’ careers with the stroke of her pen. The conversation surrounding Grimshaw had been going on for quite a while, as her behavior has been known throughout the industry.
Others quickly jumped on Courtney Milan’s post, expressing their opinions and detailing their experiences. Screenshots flew, and then it came out that another of Tisdale’s editors, Kathryn Lynn Davis, was another person that authors of color should be wary of.
Now, keep in mind, most of the names I’m dropping write Historical Romance. A screenshot of Davis’s work was posted, and Milan stated that it, not Davis, was a hot racist mess.
Now, I know what you might be thinking. Phoenix, who in the world does Milan thins she is? I’m so glad you asked, random internet person. Milan is on the Romance Writers of America’s Ethics Board. Or, at least she was, more on that in second.
As is typical with the internet, everyone commented on Milan’s thread and posted their thoughts. A few days later, it was all forgotten. In fact, we wouldn’t be talking about this at all if not for Tisdale. Why?
Because Tisdale made a full complaint against Courtney Milan in August. Now, let me be the first to say, you can complain against anyone you want to. You can report anyone to Twitter or RWA or the President. It’s your prerogative.
With that being said, let me tell you where Tisdale and RWA fucked up. The complaint accused Milan of being a bully — a term, in my personal opinion, that gets thrown around whenever someone hurts your feelings in the slightest. The complaint also states that Milan used social media as a way to express her opinions without facts — ummm…have you been online?
Finally, Tisdale accused Milan of being racist against her because she was white. Oh Lord, not another person perpetuating the falsehood of reverse racism! She then had the nerve to make a video stating that Grimshaw and Davis were as racist as she was, and since she wasn’t racist, they weren’t either.
The fact that she believes that there is no proof of racism because they weren’t being overtly racist — i.e. going to Klan rallies and burning crosses — demonstrates how unbelievably unaware Tisdale is.
In September, another complaint was allegedly filed, this time by Davis. This one accused Milan of costing her a three-book deal because the company was fearful of Milan’s reach on social media and the backlash that would follow. At the time of this article, we have seen no documentation to substantiate this accusation. In my opinion, it’s just another way for Tisdale and her gang to prove that Milan is a “bully.” She also stated that Milan demanded that she only write about her own culture.
Not true. The demands from Milan and others was to respect the cultures in which you decide to write about. Immersing yourself in those cultures to gain your degree years ago, is one thing. Understanding the plights of those cultures and accurately representing them in your writing is another.
Let’s skip ahead to October. At the beginning of the month, the RWA was cooking up something very spooky. A call for Ethics Board volunteers was put out, and several days later, they amended their polices for selecting board members.
In November, RWA finally had a meeting discussing the complaints from Tisdale and Davis and the subsequent answers by Milan.
In December, the board reached its decision.
On December 23rd, Alyssia Cole dropped the bomb that the RWA had removed Milan from the organization for a year as well as banned her for life from holding any kind of leadership position.
Copies of the complaints were screenshot and released to the public via social media along with RWAs decisions. In response, #Romancelandia exploded. For the last two weeks, everyone was throwing shade and catching smoke. I swear, it was like Beyonce came in and told us all to get in formation.
Even I got pulled into the fray based on one of my own tweets. I made it very clear that I was not a member of RWA and that anyone could catch these verbal blows.
Members of color were demanding refunds of their dues, articles were coming out, past experiences of racial bias from RWA’s national and local leadership were exposed, and everybody and their mama had something to say about the situation. On Christmas Eve, a letter from RWA was sent to its members, letting them know that the board has decided to rescind their decision on Milan.
On Christmas Day, more scandals regarding the board, the president, and the ethics committee are exposed. For a detailed list, check out the timeline created by Claire Ryan.
The day after Christmas, I get out of my bed, check my phone and see that my texts are blowing up! RWA had imploded. Board members were stepping down. The president resigned. Partners of the RWA severed ties. Of course, the cherry on the fucking cake, all of the racial bias, homophobic, xenophobic, and misogynistic behavior that had taken place within the RWA and at their sponsored events were made public.
Refunds were issued to members that wanted to deactivate their membership, only after the story hit the New York Post. The new president, Damon Suede, was then called out for his ethically grey and racist behavior. Oh, did we forget to mention that he had the unmitigated gall to charge $3,000 for speaking at RWA events?
Yeah, this shit is deep.
Now, I could go on and on about the scandal that keeps on giving. Even now, my phone is vibrating with news that has just dropped.
The Takeaway
Let’s not pretend that the RWA hasn’t been behaving in this appalling manner for decades. Authors of color have spoken out in the past about being paid less than their white counterparts, the racism demonstrated within local chapters, and the genuine disrespect shown at every turn. A little commotion would sound, the RWA leadership would promise to ensure diversity and inclusivity, and then it would be swept under the rug.
To know that RWA — an organization started by the black queen, Vivian Stephens — has been accused, tried, and pubically convicted of systemic racism is heartbreaking. My hope is that now that this is a national story, they will actually hold themselves accountable to their founder’s ideals.
So, as we embark on a new decade, I implore you to support the diverse writer organizations that are out there and to purchase books by authors of color and LGBTQ authors.
The days of the RWA blowing smoke up their members’ asses are over. They can change their course of action or be sidelined. Either way, we’ll be watching how this situation ends; tuned in on the same platform this all started, Twitter.
