Jacqueline Woodson responds to Lemony Snicket author’s ‘ignorant’ racist remarks

African American author publishes essay condemning Daniel Handler for ‘making light of a deep and troubled history’

The African American children’s author Jacqueline Woodson has said that Daniel Handler’s “wink-nudge joke about being black” at the National Book Awards “came from a place of ignorance” and was “making light” of a “deep and troubled history”.

Handler, presenting Woodson with the prize for young people’s literature for her poetic memoir Brown Girl Dreaming, said last month that: “Jackie Woodson is allergic to watermelon. Just let that sink in your minds.” His remarks were widely criticised, and Handler – who writes the hit Lemony Snicket series of children’s books – later apologised, describing the comments as “monstrously inappropriate and yes, racist”, and donating $110,000 to the We Need Diverse Books campaign for diversity in children’s literature.

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