November 29 Updates:

• MWA has withdrawn Linda Fairstein’s Grand Master Award. Click here to read their statement.
• It turns out that there are Grand Master Award recipients who have never been nominated for Edgars. A database of past winners and nominees is on the Edgars website.

Yesterday, MWA announced that Linda Fairstein would be one of the 2019 Grand Master Award recipients.

Before she was a novelist, Fairstein worked in the Manhattan DA’s office for 30 years. One of the cases she worked on was the Central Park Jogger case. The Central Park 5 were found guilty but proved innocent. Was this Fairstein’s fault? I have not read all the source material (and might not understand it if I did because I’m not a lawyer), so I can’t answer this for certain. But she was involved in the case. Of that there is no doubt.

Attica Locke raised this issue on Twitter. Fairstein responded (in separate tweets here, here, and here). If you haven’t read these comment strings, please do (they’re not long).

There are other crime fiction authors who have controversial pasts, or even presents. But this is a professional organization. So to award its highest honor to someone with this kind of controversy in their not-long-past is an interesting choice. Also, if Fairstein was ever nominated for an Edgar Award, this isn’t in the news release (so it’s a safe assumption she hasn’t been). MWA’s news release says, “MWA’s Grand Master Award represents the pinnacle of achievement in mystery writing” yet it appears that none of her books have ever been nominated for an Edgar (none have been nominated for an Anthony Award either).

MWA has said they are taking the issues Attica Locke raised “seriously” and will “make a further statement soon.” I hope whatever statement they make or action they take serves the interests of their members and of the crime fiction community. I have to believe they were aware of Fairstein’s background (because it’s no secret) when they chose to give her this honor, and I will be interested to learn more about that choice and decision process (this is not the only controversial piece of her history).

No matter who is chosen for MWA’s honors or nominated for Edgars, there will be dissenters. This is more than that. I know that diversity and inclusion matter to this community. They matter deeply to me, and I care passionately about this community. I know MWA does a lot of good for authors, and I hope whatever they do next reflects the best aspects of the crime fiction world. Doing the right thing, whether as an individual or as part of an organization, is often difficult, but it is always necessary.

By way of disclosure, I’m an associate member of MWA (this is the category that’s available to me because I’m not a writer).