How trans activists in publishing hijacked a children's book competition to pursue a personal vendetta

[PurgatoryOfPotholes]

The Phoenix Book Award is an initiative to encourage reading amongst children of the borough of Lambeth, London, launched in 2007. Back in 2017, it described itself as This exciting South London based Book Prize targets Year 5, 6, 7 and 8 pupils in Lambeth, encouraging them to read through the transition years. Phoenix is a unique book prize as students are involved in every stage of the award; from picking the shortlist, to shadowing the award and then finally voting for their favourite. It is open to all schools in the Lambeth area.

This year it's "judged by children from Years 6, 7 & 8 in Lambeth."

Children at participating schools read the books from a long-list (a very long list: as many as 32 books!) over a period of months, and whittle it down to from there. It sounds like an absolutely amazing concept for generating enthusiasm about reading.

Let's hear from the adults who do the paperwork for it:
After a break due to the pandemic we are delighted to announce that the Lambeth #PhoenixBookAward is returning for 2022!

This year, children were asked to nominate books that helped them get through lockdown. The result is a fantastic, diverse, and hugely competetive shortlist.

twitter.com/LambethPhoenix/status/1496789801718059011?s=20&t=F1f0NO5YFo712FQS40-3-w

Sounds lovely, right?

Yesterday, the twitter account for the prize posted the shortlist:

Boy in the Tower by Polly Ho-Yen
When Life Gives You Mangoes by Kereen Getten
The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell
The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf

twitter.com/LambethPhoenix/status/1496791630476722184?s=20&t=aQmwjEpxiId-FatE21miAw

(Now another round of voting begins, and we'll know the winner on the 12th May 2022!)

This was accompanied by a little graphic showing the shortlist.

And that's where this wonderful heartwarming story of children enjoying reading went wrong.

One author's publishing agent took issue with the children of Lambeth having shortlisted another author with whom she disagreed, and decided to falsify that graphic to remove any record that Onjali Raúf and her book The Boy at the Back of the Class had been shortlisted by the children of Lambeth. Then she tweeted her false version from the business twitter of the literary agency she runs, for other people to unknowingly circulate.

You're probably wondering how we can know this. Well, we know, because she boasted about doing exactly that from her personal twitter account.

Transcript for those using a screenreader

Tweet 1 from Agent: Am I petty enough and procrastinating enough to amend a shortlist image to take out the shortlisted terf. Probably.

Tweet 2 from Agent: Turns out I am.

If you go here, you can read the incredible thread from Gillian Philip explaining this mess in more detail. Gillian's the one who explained events in the first place.

twitter.com/Gillian_Philip/status/1496907435830919172?s=20&t=aQmwjEpxiId-FatE21miAw

If you are struggling to view twitter threads without an account, go here. Graham Linehan has made a version of the thread that you can scroll through without a twitter account.
grahamlinehan.substack.com/p/there-will-always-be-women-who-hate?utm_source=url

Here are some other things you should know: Onjali Raúf founded an organisation that campaigns to end modern slavery and trafficking. makingherstory.org.uk/contact/

She also founded O's Refugee Aid Team which supports refugees in Calais; in fact, 50% of the royalties from that shortlisted book, The Boy at the Back of the Class go to their projects to support refugees! Yep, this is the same book that agent is trying to suppress positive publicity for.

www.osrefugeeaidteam.org/

This is a thread of some of the books Onjali Raúf has published: twitter.com/Dora_Callisto/status/1496988662806032386?s=20&t=aQmwjEpxiId-FatE21miAw which is where I found out that children are involved in the awards process.

At this point, I can only echo Dora's thread and ask, how do you think you'd feel if you were a child who'd nominated The Boy at the Back of the Class as one of the "books that helped [you] get through lockdown"? How would you feel to find out that another shortlisted nominee's agent had edited your nomination out?

It's despicable behaviour.

what is it about publishing books for children that makes people so crazy?

Good question - I think publishing in general involves a lot of backbiting, resentment and competitiveness. But with children's publishing there's and extra layer of "niceness" - not actual niceness, but the cliche that children's books are all about heartwarming, lovely, caring do-goodery, fun, and Moral Lessons.

That attracts a certain type of person who has a need to see themselves as lovely, righteous and caring, and for others to see them as that, ultimately as a selfish aim, and they will tread on others mercilessly. The genderwoo trend and pronounery is a huge marker for this type. The more "lovely" someone is in this industry, the warier I am until I get to know them. The more of a cynical sweary misanthrope they are, the likelier they are to be straight-up and genuinely decent :o

Generalisations of course – but borne out many a time IME.

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g Ah, so just a petty time-wasting exercise in the creation of an imaginary reality where people who disagree with you on unrelated things don't exist. Thanks for explaining.

@Gumbomambo

Just wanted to say this thread has made me so happy. I was so upset about the kids in Lambeth, I am from a working class background in Yorkshire and anything that helps those children in Lambeth is wonderful. To take away a single bit of hope and help is despicable. Shame on them. None of our regular idiots here to defend this behaviour I note.

They're likely telling us off on another thread at the mo, don't worry I'm sure they will be along soon

The more "lovely" someone is in this industry, the warier I am until I get to know them. The more of a cynical sweary misanthrope they are, the likelier they are to be straight-up and genuinely decent

Sales of that book are soaring 😀 just ordered it for my son in year 6 to read.

The more "lovely" someone is in this industry, the warier I am until I get to know them. The more of a cynical sweary misanthrope they are, the likelier they are to be straight-up and genuinely decent grin

Yes, and I wish I had learned this earlier.

Onjali’s books sound great. I don’t have children/grandchildren the right age but have ordered a couple of her books as gifts

Don't forget to review it as well as order and read it

I'm personally inclined to extend compassion to Alice S-H's author. Not enough to buy her book, but I'll reserve my scorn for Alice's behaviour.

Getten was in a precarious position. She's not an established author (this is her first book, right?) and she'd just been given a front-row seat on how her extremely privileged agent treated Asian authors who expressed the wrong point of view. Alice went to a girls-only school that today costs £10,435 per term for day pupils. I assume she is extremely well connected.

I'd expect most people's self-preservation instincts to activate in such a social situation. I won't crucify a writer for a laughing emoji when she felt put on the spot.

Alice's actions were entirely premeditated and extremely manipulative, and point to a very spiteful person. I think she'd have turned on any of her authors quickly enough if they'd voiced any opposition.

Jesús ! I wonder if Private Eye picks this up too.

It really is spiteful

Bravo Onjali ! You are so much better than that nasty wealthy posh woman … we value you !!!

The trouble is I’d imagine many awards and events are run on very little, and the people doing them might well steer clear of someone like Onjali Rauf because they don’t want the hassle and controversy, or they’ll worry she has said something really bad. Which I guess keeps more of the award and promotional pie for the virtue-signalling bully brigade.

I think big organisations in the literary world and those with big platforms need to do something to stop this, but at the moment they seem to be supporting the bullies, if anything. Rachel Rooney wrote an account of how she left publishing because of similar bullying, but I imagine her detractors are probably still doing just fine.

I think there's a misconception that these are all first time authors. The book selection has been made by children of books that have meant something to them, as opposed to this being a prize for new literature. Onjali Rauf's nominated book is from 2018 (she's had at least 2 others published since then). Kereen Getten's nominated book is her first (2020), but she's had a second published (2021) and a third is being published this year. She's also been featured in a 2021 anthology. She's had a number of prizes/nominations/Times Book of the Week. So not exactly wet behind the ears.

@cocoapopfan

Onjali Raif has been targeted before, when she was chosen for something by Booktrust. A bunch of children’s authors were openly boasting on twitter about how they were trying to get Booktrust to fire her.

There was also some kind of fall out because a children’s author who wasn’t even GC, but had congratulated Rauf or liked one of her tweets or similar was then hounded off twitter.

Horrible behaviour.

The victim there was Maz Evans. People (well, I say "people") sent her messages describing how they would rape her children.

@LilithOfEden

I think there's a misconception that these are all first time authors. The book selection has been made by children of books that have meant something to them, as opposed to this being a prize for new literature. Onjali Rauf's nominated book is from 2018 (she's had at least 2 others published since then). Kereen Getten's nominated book is her first (2020), but she's had a second published (2021) and a third is being published this year. She's also been featured in a 2021 anthology. She's had a number of prizes/nominations/Times Book of the Week. So not exactly wet behind the ears.

Ah, thank you. I didn't realise Getten had been published again since that book!

According to one of the twitter threads covering the spite, Onjali Raúf has got at least five books out (I dunno if there are more that they didn't bother to list):

twitter.com/Dora_Callisto/status/1496988662806032386?t=oXYfCHJ5wzoENd3Ec5oirQ&s=19

I'm not sure why this agent has used "procrastinating" when she actually means "unprofessional".

It's shocking that she has ruined her own reputation by openly gaming an award shortlist, though. How can she ever expect to be taken seriously again?

Onjali Raúf has responded to all this with her characteristic class.

Tweet 1: Am currently overseas meeting awesome women changing lives, so wasn't online except for #UkraineWar news. But thank you fierce hearts @RooneyRachel @GillianPhilip @jessphillips @MForstater @ShonaghDillon @KIngalaSmith & all @MakeHerstory1 champions. Love trumps hate. We go on⚡

Tweet 2: PS. Thank you to all the awesome souls reading, buying, borrowing & sharing #TheBoyAtTheBackOfTheClass - especially at this time when so many lives are being upended so swiftly. (Or any of my book babies.) You make every second of what I do, an utter honour. #RefugeesWelcome

twitter.com/OnjaliRauf/status/1497103346309730304?t=fMOLp_hsxmmdyj-7Q46wJw&s=19

Tweet 3: PPS: In far worthier news, 8yo Betsy who took on a massive swimming challenge to raise money for @RefugeeAction after reading #TheBoyAtTheBackOfTheClass, has topped £3k & is in @theweekjunior!

Love our kids. They get Life's Priorities.⚡ #RefugeesWelcome
t.co/zk5zzYfezw t.co/OTvKdL4OAk

twitter.com/OnjaliRauf/status/1497112059116457984?t=m5A6_Ox5MR3_HO04KGV0UA&s=19

She links to Betsy's gofundme there.

@RoyalCorgi

"We are actively seeking voices that have historically been underrepresented, particularly with tropes that are often said to be “over done”. For example, we are not interested in stories about white able bodied WW2 evacuees but would welcome that story from a disabled, LGBTQ+ or BIPOC perspective."

That is so stupid it's almost funny. I assume if this is about Britain, we're talking about Britain, where the term BIPOC is meaningless. And then the idea that children who are "white able bodied" are somehow not worthy of attention, when the vast majority of those children came from deeply under-privileged, impoverished backgrounds, and were wrenched away from their families to experience the loneliness and terror of staying with complete strangers for five years - well, that idea could only have come from an immensely privileged person who has never experienced anything like that.

I almost think it might be a good thing to use BIPOC in a place like the UK. Because it might make people think, just for a moment, what it really means to be indigenous, and maybe question their little oppression paradigms.

Frankly publishing should be about making good stories available, and while it's wonderful that publishes want to be careful not to ignore certain populations or voices, what's going on now is not about the stories, it's about fulfilling certain quotas.

It makes me think about the plagiarism of The Rosemary Tree, which was some years ago now.

Yes, there would be some head-scratching over who could identify as indigenous here. The Celts arrived around 500 BCE, I think - would you have to have DNA from a pre-Celtic source? Plenty of evidence mounting up now that during the Roman era there were people from all over the known world living in the British Isles, including people of colour.

Frankly publishing should be about making good stories available, and while it's wonderful that publishes want to be careful not to ignore certain populations or voices, what's going on now is not about the stories, it's about fulfilling certain quotas.

And boy, doesn't it show in the output of the last couple of years. Stories with all the emotional depth and characterisation of a hastily-written Victorian sermon.

Didn't need a book, so donated to Betsy's swim fundraiser,

It would be a shame if we were to regress back to the Victorian moralising, ever-so-worthy children's books for fear of offending someone looking to be offended.

Yes HenriettaTriceratops the similarity to Victorian literary moralising is obvious. These are adherents of an incredibly regressive ideology, though, so it's only to be expected.

All of the above, and does Alice S-H burn books as a matter of routine?#fahrenheit451