The National Book Awards already made headlines earlier this year, when it dropped Drew Barrymore from hosting its annual ceremony due to her resuming her talk show amid the Hollywood strikes. Now, with the event set to take place Wednesday in New York, there's more disruption, this time tied to the current upheaval in the Middle East. The New York Times reports that at least two sponsors won't be attending the prestigious ceremony, after rumors began circulating that some of the authors in attendance would be speaking about the Israel-Hamas war.
It's not entirely clear what those speeches will entail, but the Times notes that "several finalists" had apparently planned to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. One of the sponsors to pull out was Zibby Media, with founder Zibby Owens noting in a Substack post, "I am not comfortable bringing my authors and my team into a politically charged environment like this one, one that will make many of us feel quite uncomfortable—including myself as a Jewish woman." Owens anticipates that the remarks won't take Israel's side and adds, "We simply can't be a part of anything that promotes discrimination, in this case of Israel and the Jewish people."
The second sponsor, Book of the Month, said it still supports the event but that it wouldn't be in attendance. The withdrawals came after the National Book Foundation, which hosts the event, contacted all sponsors and attendees to warn them that political statements might be forthcoming at Wednesday's ceremony. "Given the extraordinarily painful moment we are in, we felt it best to reach out in case you have any questions or concerns," foundation chief Ruth Dickey noted in her letter, per the Times.
story continues below
Aaliyah Bilal, an awards finalist, says she and other finalists will take the stage while one person reads a statement, though she says they plan to be sympathetic to losses in both Israel and Gaza and will denounce antisemitism. "We don't want to contribute to inflaming that," she says. Not everyone agrees with the sponsors. "Pulling support from this event over a pro-Palestinian sentiment under the presumption that it would be antisemitic by default does not seem to me like an act of heroism," comedian Josh Gondelman, who's Jewish, tells the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. "It feels like a withdrawing of solidarity from members of the literary (and human) community who are also experiencing real pain." (More National Book Awards stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
