Dear members of the NYSWI community,
Over the past week there has been a great deal of hurt and speculation about the Girls Coming of Age panel at the Book Festival last weekend. It has been difficult to bear for the authors, our extended University family and our fellow Jewish and Muslim communities.
This was a terrible situation, and we should have been more thoughtful in how we approached this panel and the concerns that were raised by all the authors. The New York State Writers Institute is committed to programming that celebrates diverse voices and facilitates conversations that create opportunities for understanding and mutual respect.
In this instance, we did not live up to that ideal. We apologize to the participants of the panel for not treating this programming with the careful consideration it needed and for any consequences they faced as a result.
We are committed to learning, growing, and doing better to uphold the core values of our mission. We are grateful to our colleagues, friends, and community for sharing their perspectives with us and for giving us the opportunity to learn from them. Honoring these relationships will be paramount as we identify the next steps we should take, which will always include continuing our commitment to showcasing diverse voices to broad audiences.
Hatred of any kind, including antisemitism and Islamophobia, has no place on our campus, and we condemn it unequivocally.
Paul Grondahl
Opalka Endowed Director, NYS Writers Institute
Mark Koplik's email misrepresented Lisa Ko's words and participation in the panel by falsely implying she had withdrawn, a claim further amplified by misleading media statements from Paul Grondahl and the Institute. Neither Ko nor Layden withdrew. These statements, repeated and supported by the SUNY Albany President and the SUNY Chancellor, are particularly damaging and constitute defamation. I urge Paul and Mark to resign immediately, the NYS Writers Institute to publicly correct its false statements and apologize to the affected authors, and a review of internal processes. Additionally, I request that the Institute cease its practice of nepotism and patronage as this creates an environment ripe for conflict and mismanagement.
This apology doesn't make sense. The panel was about coming-of-age books. You've completely sidestepped the real issue: two panelists took issue with the third author's Jewish identity. The two panelists are not victims nor was there any Islamophobia. This response is a clear deflection from the real issue.
Where was exactly Islamophobia in this situation? The letter could be the fine example of gaslighting in writing practice. How not to do it. Please do better.
So let me get this straight - Lisa Ko and Aisha Gawad refused to be on a panel with Elisa Albert because she is Jewish and a Zionist. THEY refused. YOU canceled it. What has this got to do with Islamophobia? Why are you two-siding what is a shameful, disgraceful, pathetic and cowardly appeasement of antisemitism?
Perhaps you need a reminder of your mission statement:
“Our mission is to explore and teach the writing craft; to celebrate diverse voices in all genres; to honor the power of literature as a force for individual growth and social good; and to foster a vibrant community of readers and writers who engage in meaningful dialogue.“
You canceled diverse voices.
You did not foster…
I don’t understand. You’re apologizing for putting Jews and Muslims on panels together to discuss girls coming of age? You’re apologizing for Islamophobic behavior against whom? Who refused to sit on a panel with a “Zionist”?? How would that make one a victim of Islamophobia? This is a carefully crafted statement that has virtually nothing to do with the actual events that transpired. Do better.