Tayari's Blog: Because She Can?

Comment #1, by Judy

I don't think the writer should be taken to task as much as the judges who awarded her the money. But I will say that Toni Morrison wrote with two sons, no husband, and a job as an editor. I don't have a lot of sympathy for a woman who has only one child and a husband, and no full-time job outside of her writing. That, to me, is not a critical point in her career following so many previous accolades.

My question is why the judges awarded her the money if the prize is for writers at a critical juncture in their careers. I guess they define "critical point" in their own unique way. They are the ones at fault.

Comment #2, by Ladylee

Oh, that is just one of those things where she just wants to add another line to her resume/CV. Makes her look "current". Happens in the scientific field all the time. Plus, when a granting agency chooses someone already established or well known, it gives that agency a bit more advertisement and even more credibility... Still sucks though. I didn't know it went down like that in the writing community, too.... Geez.

Comment #3, by Michael Fischer

I think it's shameful that she applied for an NEA, and even more shameful that she had the nerve to pass herself off as someone living on a modest income.

Thanks, Jhumpa, for undermining the true purpose of the NEA. Writers should look out for each other, not eat their own.