Bad Art Friend

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Friends, it just got even more interesting.

Actually, it's quite alarming. Threats like this by men against women need to be taken seriously. This is a gatekeeper of sorts in the publishing industry. An artistic director at GrubStreet.

https://piperbookblog.com/author-christopher-castellani-vows-to-exact-revenge-on-fellow-writer-and-grubstreet-instructor/

I think it’s important to note that his comment was in an email from 2018 and part of the cringeworthy series of “oh, Sonya, you’re so awesome and shouldn’t ever have to fret about this nutter’s distress about your blatant plagiarism” set of email responses. It is useful for anyone investigating GrubStreet’s failure to do the minimum necessary investigation/due diligence about a clear example of professional malfeasance toward their students, but I’m not sure it is a real threat in the absence of more. Definitely extremely unimpressive at a minimum. The egos on these people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Friends, it just got even more interesting.

Actually, it's quite alarming. Threats like this by men against women need to be taken seriously. This is a gatekeeper of sorts in the publishing industry. An artistic director at GrubStreet.

https://piperbookblog.com/author-christopher-castellani-vows-to-exact-revenge-on-fellow-writer-and-grubstreet-instructor/

I think it’s important to note that his comment was in an email from 2018 and part of the cringeworthy series of “oh, Sonya, you’re so awesome and shouldn’t ever have to fret about this nutter’s distress about your blatant plagiarism” set of email responses. It is useful for anyone investigating GrubStreet’s failure to do the minimum necessary investigation/due diligence about a clear example of professional malfeasance toward their students, but I’m not sure it is a real threat in the absence of more. Definitely extremely unimpressive at a minimum. The egos on these people.

These days, you just never know. Some people actually act on these types of things. It's quite dark.

[Anonymous]

This whole thing makes me wonder what other possibly predatory relationships have been tolerated at Grub Street. They don't seem to have any real ability to actually investigate complaints.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Letter from the Grubstreet Board to the Community:
https://grubstreet.org/blog/letter-from-the-grubstreet-board-to-the-community/

Many of the board members are in the Chunky Monkey group (I feel ridiculous even typing that name), so how do you think this internal review will go …

[Anonymous]

Please, PLEASE read this thread from Arthur Chu. It reframes the entire purpose and meaning of the letter at the heart of this in a way that I failed to truly understand initially.

I am SO angry, almost heartbroken, at how this was so intentionally twisted and turned into so ugly. I am legitimately seething. That letter was goddamn beautiful, and I say this with purpose - it was a work of art.

[Anonymous]

I hope Ms. Dorland finishes her novel soon and gets a publisher so I can buy and read it! I was very underwhelmed by whatever version of Ms. Larsen's story someone pulled off PACER.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hope Ms. Dorland finishes her novel soon and gets a publisher so I can buy and read it! I was very underwhelmed by whatever version of Ms. Larsen's story someone pulled off PACER.

Yes, one tragedy of all of this is that comparing the writing of the two of them, Dorland is the markedly better writer. Maybe that's why Larson hated her so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please, PLEASE read this thread from Arthur Chu. It reframes the entire purpose and meaning of the letter at the heart of this in a way that I failed to truly understand initially.

I am SO angry, almost heartbroken, at how this was so intentionally twisted and turned into so ugly. I am legitimately seething. That letter was goddamn beautiful, and I say this with purpose - it was a work of art.

Oh my God. That is heartbreaking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please, PLEASE read this thread from Arthur Chu. It reframes the entire purpose and meaning of the letter at the heart of this in a way that I failed to truly understand initially.

I am SO angry, almost heartbroken, at how this was so intentionally twisted and turned into so ugly. I am legitimately seething. That letter was goddamn beautiful, and I say this with purpose - it was a work of art.

Oh my God. That is heartbreaking.

Yeah, I didn’t get that at all from the NYT piece but he’s right, it’s really significant. The whole reason Sonja copied the letter into her story is that she thought it was “too good” — too tone deaf, too much if an emotional imposition, to much centering herself in the narrative, etc. But she wasn’t even writing to her organ recipient, she was writing to someone who she’d never meet. He us write that context totally changes the meaning of the words.

Yeah, the fact that these people say around making fun of her for donating a kidney is revolting. These people are revolting.

[Anonymous]

I really am furious at these people. It wasn’t enough to exclude and mock Dorland they had to double down and take it up a notch with the Times and then feed that more on Twitter. Also the name of the group Chunky Monkey is so stupid, sophomoric and unimaginative, every time I read it it makes me hate them more. I bet they had t-shirts. 🤮

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Friends, it just got even more interesting.

Actually, it's quite alarming. Threats like this by men against women need to be taken seriously. This is a gatekeeper of sorts in the publishing industry. An artistic director at GrubStreet.

https://piperbookblog.com/author-christopher-castellani-vows-to-exact-revenge-on-fellow-writer-and-grubstreet-instructor/

This actually made me tear up.

It is not clear at all why so many people hated her. In the FB posts someone posted here yesterday she championed writers, many writers of color.

I am afraid nothing will happen because that world is so insular, and they're gaslighting everyone now saying that blatant plagiarism is not at issue. But, yes, Larson clearly wins in the court of public opinion.

[shan1212]

Do you think Sonya Larson is advised not to comment on this stuff because of the litigation? (By her super professional lawyer who uses AOL and can't open attachments, lol.)

Because it really boggles my mind that she's staying silent, as well as everyone else except Becky Tuch. Like wouldn't Christopher Castellani want to say something like, "Obviously it was hyperbole when I said I would devote my life to exacting revenge against Dorland"? I mean, these are cynical people, probably a lot of them have lawyered up and are under advisement. Everyone except Celeste Ng, who seems to feel she's too big to sink.

BTW if you Tweet something positive about Dawn Dorland she will almost certainly follow you on Twitter! It has made me feel a little better about this whole situation to know that she is absorbing the support, shock, and outrage offered on her behalf.

Another thing that gets me about this situation is how it snowballed out of control. Part of me wants to excuse everyone who isn't Sonya Larson because they were basing their judgments on her deceitful explanation of events. But on the other hand, obviously these people were primed to be hateful towards Dawn in particular and probably many others in general, and when Sonya started to doubt herself, they egged her on.

I think this was a good analysis about how the scarcity of publishing opportunities creates this type of dynamic: https://twitter.com/DrDorianCramer/status/1448115031162425346?s=20

[shan1212]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Friends, it just got even more interesting.

Actually, it's quite alarming. Threats like this by men against women need to be taken seriously. This is a gatekeeper of sorts in the publishing industry. An artistic director at GrubStreet.

https://piperbookblog.com/author-christopher-castellani-vows-to-exact-revenge-on-fellow-writer-and-grubstreet-instructor/

This actually made me tear up.

It is not clear at all why so many people hated her. In the FB posts someone posted here yesterday she championed writers, many writers of color.

I am afraid nothing will happen because that world is so insular, and they're gaslighting everyone now saying that blatant plagiarism is not at issue. But, yes, Larson clearly wins in the court of public opinion.

Did you mean to say Larson wins in the court of public opinion?

[Anonymous]

shan1212 wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Friends, it just got even more interesting.

Actually, it's quite alarming. Threats like this by men against women need to be taken seriously. This is a gatekeeper of sorts in the publishing industry. An artistic director at GrubStreet.

https://piperbookblog.com/author-christopher-castellani-vows-to-exact-revenge-on-fellow-writer-and-grubstreet-instructor/

This actually made me tear up.

It is not clear at all why so many people hated her. In the FB posts someone posted here yesterday she championed writers, many writers of color.

I am afraid nothing will happen because that world is so insular, and they're gaslighting everyone now saying that blatant plagiarism is not at issue. But, yes, Larson clearly wins in the court of public opinion.

Did you mean to say Larson wins in the court of public opinion?

Yikes, no!

[Anonymous]

DAWN DORLAND WINS THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION!