Queensland Literary Awards program under review after fellowship revoked from First Nations writer
The Queensland State Library says it remains committed to freedom of expression despite a decision to rescind a $15,000 fellowship awarded to Indigenous writer K A Ren Wyld over comments about the conflict in Gaza made on social media last year.
The decision was made by the state's arts minister John-Paul Langbroek, who wrote to the library's board on Monday May 19.
The library said it was legally bound to follow the minister's order.
"To comply with the direction, the fellowship was not awarded to K A Ren Wyld," the library said in a statement.
"State Library values freedom of expression within the limits of the law."
Quoting its Intellectual Freedom Policy the library's statement said:
"Libraries [sic] support the free flow of information and ideas, [and] have a responsibility to oppose the infringement of intellectual freedom."
Speaking to state parliament last Tuesday, Mr Langbroek said concerns had been raised about a social media post by Ms Wyld following the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in October last year, which was deleted shortly after it was posted.
"The author, via comments on social media, has praised the mastermind of the 7 October Hamas-led terror attacks as a 'martyr' and a 'hero'," Mr Langbroek said.
"Words matter, and that is why we have taken the decision that this award should not be presented at the State Library."
Multiple panel judges for the Queensland Literary Awards resigned following the decision.
In a statement on social media, Ms Wyld said they flew to Brisbane to attend the announcement, which was scheduled for last Tuesday.
On arrival, they said they were given the news by State Library CEO Vicki McDonald that the fellowship had been rescinded .
"Clarifying what's happened is not Vicki's fault, or the Black&Write team and partner organisations," they wrote.
"She was not able to give me much information.
"I will not receive the $15,000 award money, and my manuscript will not be edited as part of the Black&Write program."
Ms Wyld said they had been contacted prior to the Tuesday meeting by a News Corp journalist who informed them Queensland arts minister John-Paul Langbroek had written to the library directing them to void the fellowship.
The State Library confirmed there will be an independent review of its awards and fellowships programs.
"It will have specific focus on how we balance our strong commitment to freedom of expression and our role as a Queensland government funded cultural institution," a statement said.
Academic and fiction prize judge Dr Jeanine Leane and writer and critic Nigel Featherstone made up half the four-person fiction prize panel — which wasn't judging Ms Wyld's manuscript — before they both resigned on Friday.
Dr Leane said she resigned from judging the awards due to what she called an "intervention" into the arts scene.
"This kind of interference into the art scene becoming a frequent occurrence in Australia, where projects and artists and writers are being shut down because of their political views and the opinions that they express," she said.
She said such interventions shift the focus away from the work to serve political narratives.
"That makes it not about art or writing, or creativity, or diversity, or the possibility of considering the multiplicities of truths and stories that may exist out there.
"Shutting down a truth of someone expressing their concern for a genocide in Palestine, and shutting down the truth of the cultural genocide here that happened through the Stolen Generations — which is what [Ms Wyld's] manuscript was about."
Mr Featherstone said it was not solely about Gaza but the "core principle" of freedom of speech in the arts.
"For me, it actually doesn't matter what those political views are, whether they're highly conservative or highly progressive, I think they should be able to express those views and not lose work opportunities or awards, grants, or fellowships," he said.
Author of Muddy People and non-fiction panellist Sara el Sayed said she found it "impossible" to continue to work with the library following the decision.
"It's completely against what the values of the State Library and these awards should stand for, and honestly I think it completely undermines the whole process and this whole project that we're involved in," she said.
"What is the point in judging a literary award if a politician can swoop in at the last second and, for whatever reason he decides, say 'this person cannot receive this award because I say so'?"
Ms el Sayed said a review of the library's suite of awards wasn't necessary.
"What I'm concerned about is, what's it going to find out, what's it going to uncover? Is it going to introduce more power for these ministers?
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