Daniel Handler, better known by his pen name Lemony Snicket, sparked outrage for his offensive comments at the 2014 National Book Awards ceremony.
My job at last night's National Book Awards #NBAwards was to shine a light on tremendous writers, including Jacqueline Woodson... -DH [1/2]
...and not to overshadow their achievements with my own ill-conceived attempts at humor. I clearly failed, and I’m sorry. -DH [2/2]
After his initial apology on Twitter, Handler further apologized and has pledged to match donations to We Need Diverse Books for 24 hours up to $100,000.
My remarks on Wednesday night at #NBAwards were monstrously inappropriate and yes, racist. -DH [1/4]
It would be heartbreaking for the #NBAwards conversation to focus on my behavior instead of great books. So can we do this? -DH [2/4]
Let’s donate to #WeNeedDiverseBooks to #CelebrateJackie. I’m in for $10,000, and matching your money for 24 hours up to $100,000. -DH [3/4[
Brown Girl Dreaming is an amazing novel and we need more voices like Jacqueline Woodson. -DH [4/4]
Help make it happen for #WeNeedDiverseBooks on @indiegogo http://t.co/GbYtFugeAH
We Need Diverse Books is a grassroots organization created to address the lack of diverse, non-majority narratives in children's literature. We Need Diverse Books is committed to the ideal that embracing diversity will lead to acceptance, empathy, and ultimately equality.We recognize all diverse experiences, including (but not limited to) LGBTQIA, people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities. Our mission is to promote or amplify diversification efforts and increase visibility for diverse books and authors, with a goal of empowering a wide range of readers in the process.
Early reactions on Twitter have been positive:
Good on @DanielHandler for making a real, honest apology and doing his best to make amends to the community. #WeNeedDiverseBooks
Daniel Handler pledged $10,000 to #WeNeedDiverseBooks That is how you apologize. By doing better and working to right your wrongs. Good job.
Disappointed in Handler's comments on Wed but v impressed he gave a sincere apology and by the donations/matching to #WeNeedDiverseBooks!
I'm speechless re: @DanielHandler & his pledge to match up to 100k for #WeNeedDiverseBooks. Please donate. This is so important.
Just donated to We Need Diverse Books. Take advantage of @danielhandler's pledge to match all donations today. http://t.co/Tpn71vP3xG