The story has been updated below with additional comments from Wilton Library Executive Director Caroline Mandler.
BREAKING NEWS, Wilton, CT — Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, 5 p.m.: Following several days of intense attention and community uproar over the author named as Wilton Library‘s first Writer-in-Residence, library officials have announced that she will “no longer serve” in the role.
On Saturday, Sept. 21, news reports surfaced that Wilton Library‘s first-ever writer-in-residence, Aisha Abdel Gawad, had refused to take part in a book festival forum at SUNY Albany because, according to organizers, she stated the panel’s moderator was a “Zionist.”
The story appeared on multiple online news outlets, including on Yahoo.com, and spread widely on social media. The resulting coverage generated enough attention nationally to prompt email writing campaigns condemning Gawad’s withdrawal and the book festival’s subsequent cancellation of the event as antisemitic. Wilton Library, School and Town officials received upwards of 3,000 emails over the next 36-48 hours.
In subsequent media coverage, Gawad was quoted as saying that she had expressed concern to festival organizers “over the moderator’s public rhetoric” and “statements that mock anyone who expresses grief over the loss of Palestinian life or calls them a ‘terrorist apologist’. …” As an Arab, Muslim writer, I made the private choice to withdraw from the panel because it did not feel like a safe forum for me,” adding she was surprised the event was canceled and that she “oppose[s] anti-Semitism and have dedicated my professional and personal life to … fighting anti-Semitism … racism, Islamophobia, and hatred of all kinds.
Shortly before 5 p.m. Wednesday, Wilton Library Executive Director Caroline Mandler issued a press release announcing that “Effective immediately … Gawad will no longer serve as the Library’s Writer-in-Residence.”
The release continued: “Wilton Library and its Board of Trustees and Officers are distressed and disturbed by the recent events surrounding the Writer-in-Residence program. We continue to be passionate about the free exchange of ideas. We remain dedicated to our mission to ‘inform, enrich, connect, and inspire our community,’ and to maintain an environment where everyone is made to feel safe and welcome,” it read.
The release also noted that since Gawad’s appointment was announced on Aug. 15, and she officially started her residence on Sept. 4, Gawad “did not present any public programs” during those three weeks.
Part of the job description for the writer in residence included conducting programs with the library and potentially collaborating with the Wilton Public Schools on programs in classrooms with students. Earlier this week, both Superintendent Kevin Smith and Board of Education Chair Ruth DeLuca distanced themselves from the controversy and reiterated that the district had no relationship with Gawad or any role in selecting her, nor were they consulted on her selection.
Gawad had been chosen from more than 100 applicants from around the country — including poets, nonfiction writers and screenwriters — and named as the first Cornerstone Writer-in-Residence. The fellowship program, funded by the Wilton Library Endowment Fund, includes a $30,000 stipend and office space for one year to help the chosen writer complete their next project.
First Selectman Toni Boucher, who issued a strongly worded statement on Tuesday evening expressing her “personal shock,” stated that the Board of Selectman would be watching to see what the library board would do.
After the library’s announcement today about ending its relationship with Gawad, Boucher told GOOD Morning Wilton, “I am pleased to learn that the library board has made the right decision. It is unfortunate that more due diligence was not conducted in the initial review. I understand there were 23 good candidates, some of which were from Wilton.”
GOOD Morning Wilton has reached out to Mandler for additional comment and will also reach out to Gawad for any response.
This is a developing story that will be updated accordingly.
UPDATE, 6:30 p.m. — Shortly after issuing a press release about the end of Wilton Library’s relationship with Aisha Gawad, Executive Director Caroline Mandler spoke with GMW reporter Jarret Liotta.
Mandler told GMW that Gawad was vetted before being selected: “The vetting process was thorough and we looked into everything that we had access to.”
Mandler learned of the controversy that came out of the canceled Albany Book Festival program through the mass emails that started arriving on Sunday. She did reach out to Gawad and spoke with her, but would not share what was said, including anything regarding the book festival. “I cannot comment on any conversations.”
Mandler declined to comment on whether Gawad offered to resign, but said the Library Board of Directors did vote on whether Gawad could continue in the post. “
“We seriously considered the matter and the Board voted that she would no longer serve as the writer-in-residence,” Mandler said, declining to offer other details of what was said or done during the meeting. There are 20 current members of the Board of Directors but Mandler would not say how many of them voted on this question.
She also declined to comment on whether library representatives reached out to Gawad as a Board before taking a vote.
Mandler said she was aware that Wilton residents had strong feelings about the situation and that like the press release said, those associated with the library — staff and board members — did too.
“I think exactly what the press release says, which is that it was distressing and disturbing, all of the events … We’re aware that there were a range of viewpoints,” she said.
She declined to offer any personal comment, noting that the press release spoke for her as well as the board.
GMW asked whether the library had received any threats, Mandler declined to comment. Wilton Police Lt. Anna Tornello told GMW that the Wilton Police Department has remained available and offered additional support to the library, should the need arise. Tornello said the department had not made any changes to patrols as a result of the situation.
Mandler confirmed that Gawad had not held any in-house programs at the library. “It had only been three weeks so she was just getting started and had only just been writing, so the majority of the program was geared around her finishing a book within a year. So she was only working on that aspect at this point …” adding that Gawad was using space in the building to do so.
As of now, Mandler said there was nothing else planned, including whether the program would continue. “It has not been discussed yet,” she said.
She also declined to comment on whether she regretted starting the program.
Did she get the $30,000 already?
What a shame the Library Board succumbed to Toni Boucher’s bullying.
I would like to thank the Wilton Library Association and The First Selectman for doing the right thing even though I am sure it was a hard choice. I am sure they knew that they would face a backlash.
Aisha Abdel Gawad did not deserve to be writer in residence for our town.
She was given a chance to respond and did not have a response that was worthy of her continuing that post as a writer. the face the she is already on record of asking NYU to divest from Israel before this latest kerfuffle leads me to believe the her brand of Anti Zionism like most current brands are the new dog whistle for Antisemitism.
Ms. Gawad help cancel a writer who had been empathic to the Palestinian cause of achieving their own state because that writer had the moral clarity to call out Hamas supporters as Antisemites.
I am sorry our town went through this I hope we choose better next time.
Gawad made a decision to withdraw from an event, one unconnected to her relation with Wilton Library, in which she would not feel safe participating due to another participant’s egregious
views about Palestinians. Not only was she making a private decision, she was exercising her right to free speech. But evidently neither privacy nor free speech are valued by Wilton Library or certain members of the Wilton community. Why is that? You who revel in seeing Gawad “punished” for expecting the same civil liberties granted to every other citizen of this country should be ashamed of yourselves.
While I agree Ms. Gawad exercised her right to free speech in exiting a writers panel she has no right to freedom from consequence. The Library did the right thing in disassociating from her. Her brand on Anti-Zionism is Antisemitism and we should not be giving her a platform going forward. Also what privacy? We gave her a public facing role and she was acting in another public facing role on a panel. As I see it we did not do due diligence in selecting her and we now choose to move in another direction.