Newswire
Posted on August 18, 2022 at 9:00 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek
Chocolat author Joanne Harris is being asked to resign from a leadership position in the Society of Authors.
The Guardian reports that Harris had tweeted out a poll after Friday's attack on author Salman Rushdie, inquiring whether authors had received death threats.
The tone of the poll was perceived as flippant, and it was also interpreted as a dig at author J.K. Rowling, who herself had tweeted that she received death threats after the attack on Rushdie was reported.
Writer Julie Bindel is circulating an open letter expressing these sentiments and calling for Harris to step down as chair of the SoA management committee.
At the same time, author Melinda Salisbury has sent out an open letter of her own, in support of Harris.
Harris herself has chimed in with the opinion that the criticism has more to do with her support of trans rights — in contrast to Rowling's controversial views — and added that “My term of office as Chair ends in 2024. I won’t be leaving before that.”
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