I haven't been following the Romance Writers of America's activities closely since the 2019 implosion (documented in detail on this blog, under the tag RWA, but also summarised more briefly here and here) and a brief return with the 2021 awards fiasco (again, documented on this blog, but also summarised more briefly here). However, today there were a couple of items of news concerning the RWA.
The first involved a change to their main award. An Internet Archive capture of 25 February outlines a
a significant
development regarding THE VIVIAN® Award. With the encouragement of the
award’s namesake, Vivian Stephens, the RWA Board of Directors has
approved a new name for the published author’s contest
– the Diamond Heart Award. The Board is excited about the positive
impact this change will have as we continue to celebrate the
extraordinary richness and variety of our genre. This decision reflects
RWA’s dedication to fostering an environment that embraces
the diverse voices and experiences within our romance writing family.
While this award undergoes a transformation, Vivian Stephens' name will
remain closely tied to our community. Her legacy will continue to be
honored through the dedicated RWA industry service award, recognizing
her enduring contributions to our shared journey.
That page has been updated since then (and I've saved it the way it looks today here). The judges should have completed their training and "Wednesday, June 5, 2024 - The contest opens at 11 a.m."
However, it seems that today (29 May 2024) the RWA filed for bankruptcy. I haven't seen the details but Courtney Milan posted the following screenshot:
[Subsequently, predominantly due to disputes concerning diversity,
equity, and inclusion (DEI) issues between some members of a prior RWA
board and others in the larger romance writing community, membership
decreased to approximately 3,000. Due to COVID concerns, the Debtor held
its annual conference virtually in 2020 and 2021, and subsequently its
membership reduced further. RWA was able to postpone its obligations to
the respective Conference Centers these two years by agreeing to add two
future years to the applicable Conference Centre Contract to 2028.]
Which, as has been pointed out, rather skates over the details of how and why Courtney Milan was treated very badly by the organisation.
If anyone has more in-depth knowledge of the situation, please do leave a comment!
[Edited to add:
Here's an article about the situation in Bloomberg Law.
Here's a post from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books which explains in rage and detail why the RWA's wording of their excuse is symptomatic of the very reasons the RWA is in this position.
And a similarly righteously angry, and also very detailed, post, at Her Hands My Hands.
The Guardian takes a closer look at the consequences of bankruptcy and pointedly concludes that
As the RWA has struggled, other romance organizations that explicitly
prioritize diversity have grown. The Steamy Lit conference, first held
in 2023, focuses on creating a welcoming environment for romance readers
and writers of color, founder Melissa Saavedra said. An estimated 1,900
people are expected to attend its August conference this year.
The Guardian article states that "Reuters contributed reporting" which presumably refers to this article by Reuters, which begins with some cliches about the genre.]
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