Just So Stories

Yes, I know that’s probably the strangest header I’ve ever put up but I’ve been mentally writing this post for a week and here goes. I’m really excited about reviewing the new anthology from Ford St Publishing. It’s been sitting patiently on my shelf waiting till I get NAIDOC reviews done.

I think I’m right when I say that the Ford St anthology Trust Me Too was the very first review I ever did, you can read it at ReadPlus. I’ve used that book many times over the years with my secondary students dipping into the stories and pulling one out for a reading session. So, I was well excited to get this new one but in the last week or so, something has come to my attention and I just cannot let it go by without comment.

Most people will know, by now, that on May 18th news broke of a well-known children’s author being arrested for alleged online grooming of a 13-year-old. Within an hour of that news hitting the wider media I was in deeply intense private conversations with both creator friends and library colleagues – all of us completely shocked, incredulous and horrified.

It took a few people quite some time to realise what was happening because none of us wanted to actually spell it out in a public forum, and I know as recently as within the last two weeks, people associated with kids lit in Australia were still finding out (surprisingly). There were several obvious thoughts occur to me during that first morning and I voiced them then, and will again now.

1) This person was not arrested on suspicion or following a report. He was arrested after a covert police operation in which someone posed as a 13-year-old. If you have ever heard the police explain how this works (as I have, to my students on more than one occasion), you will know that these operations are undertaken over a period of time during which the police are patiently and determinedly collecting proof. They are not undertaken lightly, but are so after solid reports of inappropriate behaviour.

In other words, this person was arrested based on actual police-gathered evidence. The very fact that this arrest was so publicly in the media, including video footage indicates that there is a very strong case, and that it was achieved as a result of a ‘sting’ operation speaks volumes.That opinion was echoed by a barrister who knew the facts. For someone who recently said ‘but he’s only charged, not tried and convicted’ I would suggest that you re-read that.

2) At the time I expressed publicly, without names, that I truly hoped the fallout on the kids lit industry would not be too damaging. In my private conversations we discussed creators severing any connections such as those of social media, organisations quietly removing any references and librarians removing books. I would do exactly the same. I would not want to be seen to be associated with such a person in any sense.

However, I understand that there are people who are not putting this new anthology on their library shelves because there is one story in it, written by this now disgraced author. There are also stories written by 40 – yes, FORTY – other leading authors, including names such as Susanne Gervay, George Ivanoff, Deborah Abela, John Larkin, Pamela Rushby, Dianne Wolfer and more – many of these are my personal friends, let alone some of our finest writers.

It beggars belief that people would be refusing to add this book, as I have heard, on the basis of one person’s actions. Ford St is an indie publishing company with an impeccable reputation, and to effectively punish publisher, editor and these other creators on the basis of one is just shocking. Shame on anyone who is doing so.

If it were me, I know exactly what I would do. I would take out my trusty scalpel from the repairs toolkit and neatly incise the 3 relevant pages out of the book – and cross out the person’s byline in the contents. I would want everyone to know there was a reason for me including the book but NOT that particular person. That being said, I do know people of far more superior and rational thinking than the ones refusing to have it at all, who have added the book regardless because they will not deny either readers or those other authors their rights.

I will be proud to review the anthology. I have a week of NAIDOC reviews scheduled to start on Sunday. Following that I am planning a week of Borderlands reviews when I will be sharing my thoughts on my favourites from the anthology each day. I hope you will join me for that and give to those who deserve your attention.