Open Letter from Autors and Entertainers in Support of JKR

[Igneococcus]

In the Times:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/d714149e-003d-11eb-a6ce-737681864bdd?shareToken=522b280f5312e063be007bba64a0e96d

Here is the letter (a few down the list):
www.thetimes.co.uk/article/2e240198-fe6a-11ea-a6ce-737681864bdd?shareToken=8bcca8afb981c27e32894e05e7776f41

And the signatories:

We wish JK Rowling well and stand in solidarity with her.
Ian McEwan, author; Lionel Shriver, author; Griff Rhys Jones, actor; Graham Linehan, writer; Maureen Chadwick, writer; Andrew Davies, writer; Frances Barber, actress; Craig Brown, writer; Alexander Armstrong, actor; Amanda Craig, writer; Philip Hensher, writer; Susan Hill, writer; Jane Thynne, writer; Ben Miller, actor; Simon Fanshawe, writer; James Dreyfus, actor; Frances Welch, writer; Francis Wheen, writer; Arthur Matthews, writer; Aminatta Forna, writer; Joan Smith, writer; Nick Cohen, journalist; Kath Gotts, composer & lyricist; Ann McManus, writer; Eileen Gallagher, writer & producer; Jimmy Mulville, producer; Lizzie Roper, actress; Stella O’Malley, author; Nina Paley, animator; Julie Bindel, journalist; Abigail Shrier, journalist; Rachel Rooney, author; Jane Harris, writer; Tatsuya Ishida, cartoonist; Lisa Marchiano, author; Zuby, musician and author; Debbie Hayton, journalist; Gillian Philip, Author, Jonny Best, musician; Manick Govinda, arts consultant; Russell Celyn Jones, writer; Magi Gibson, writer; Victoria Whitworth, writer; Dr Mez Packer, writer; Grace Carley, producer; Sam Leith, journalist; Malcolm Clark, television producer-director; Shirley Wishart, musician; Charlotte Delaney, writer; Nehanda Ferguson, musician; Justin Hill, writer; Trezza Azzopardi, writer; Birdy Rose, artist; Jess de Wahls, textile artist; Mo Lovatt, writer; Simon Edge, novelist; Tom Stoppard, playwright; and Amanda Smyth, writer

@Malahaha

The latest is this (being Tweeted and on FB):

If you are a professional creative and want to add your signature to the JK Rowling letter, please send your name and how you wish to be described - e.g. "Jean Doe (artist)" - to the following email address:
[email protected]
For the moment, the letter is still from writers, artists, actors etc. but it's possible (due to demand) that the brief will soon widen to everyone else - so watch this space.

address, see above. It's really an open invitation to artists, writers, and entertainers right now. Will probable open up to others at a later date...

Arthur Mathews

All those woke idiots on Irish Twitter thinking it was Wildean wit to refer to Father Ted as "written by Arthur Mathews" will have to cancel the whole thing now. Feck! Arse!

Great to see Marhews on there.

Thanks for sharing OP..it is great news.

Thanks, Malahaha. Have sent my name.

I've signed too. And maybe write to your professional organisation if you have one - eg Writers Guild, Society of Authors - ask them to speak out.

Mary Hopkin (remember her? Of Those Were the Days fame!) and Jenni Murray have asked to have their names added.
They are flooding in! Celebrities and non-slebs and people in between.

@AnxiousAdventurer

I've signed too. And maybe write to your professional organisation if you have one - eg Writers Guild, Society of Authors - ask them to speak out.

To all those signing I we could start a book buying thread in support as we did for Gillian Phillip.

I don’t think your career will be dead. You have many supporters. Rachel Rooney’s book the problem with problems was recently CBeebies bedtime story read by Tom Hardy. There are more people now coming out too.

I think JKR has done everyone a huge favour by getting to number 1. It has made it very clear that the book buying public don’t care about a loud minority of unpleasant moralising idiots on Twitter.

"No publicity is bad publicity."

By bringing her to the attention of the public, the people who wish to cancel her have given her new book several thousands of pounds' worth of free publicity. Possibly hundreds of thousands of pounds' worth.

Twits.

@siablue

I'm such a minnow in the literary pond, if they add my name I doubt anyone will even notice. - And hopefully there will be lots of names!

I don't think it's the public that's so much the problem for writers speaking out, as whether they will then be commissioned/published or given the cold shoulder by those in the industry. And most writers are freelance, and don't make much.

But that's still no excuse for some of what's been going on. Sanctimonious groupthink has led some into a bad place.

JKR could start her own literary agency if she wanted to. She has the resources.

Some of these woke agencies, already heading down the toilet financially, need to think about reality here.

I know of a brilliant GC agent! (Not mine btw)

Is there a link to the call for people to sign? I'd like to share on Facebook. I know a LOT of writers and artists. Some will prob unfriend me, but I think a few will sign.

@ArabellaScott

Is there a link to the call for people to sign? I'd like to share on Facebook. I know a LOT of writers and artists. Some will prob unfriend me, but I think a few will sign.

Here you go: twitter.com/blablafishcakes/status/1310692389338656768

You can also perhaps make a friend request to Jane Harris and/or Amanda Craig on Facebook. They book post passionately on GC topics and there are lengthy discussion with quite a bit of protestors telling us to "be kind". The discussions however are pretty civil.

Also, this: twitter.com/blablafishcakes/status/1310991036278284289

(I don't know how to post a screenshot of a Twitter post)

I subscribe to Msxlexia. Not anymore!!!

Have emailed to ask to add my name as well. Am an author but not remotely famous. But would be honoured to add my support.

Have just seen that Amanda Craig has been dropped by Mslexia because she signed this letter. Mslexia is a magazine 'for women's writing'. FFS.

...and yeah, I should have posted the content of that tweet in my last post:

You're not going to believe this. After a complaint, @Mslexia**
, a magazine for women who write, has dropped @AmandaPCraig**
as a judge in a competition simply because she signed the Times letter in support of @jk_rowling - a letter which was about the bullying & silencing of women.

Oh, the irony!

I don't subscribe to Mslexia but if I did I'd be dropping them like yesterday.

I'll be delighted to drop MsLexia, in that case.

• and thanks, Malahaha, for the link!

Disgusted by Mslexia

When I started writing seriously and trying to get published I was utterly thrilled to discover so many agents and publishing staff were young women who were openly feminist. Now the writing part of my social media is one of the scariest bits because so many people are performatively woke.

Amanda Craig is awesome. I have sent her and Jane Harris friend requests (but won’t be offended if they delete).