92NY Suspends Literary Series Amid Controversy Over Cancelled Appearance by Viet Thanh Nguyen Criticizing Israel

Artist Exits, Staff Resignations, and Public Backlash Follow 92NY's Decision to Postpone Event Featuring Novelist Nguyen Due to his Criticism of Israel; Entire 2023-24 Literary Series Now on Hold

• 92NY, formerly known as the 92nd Street Y, suspended its 2023-2024 literary series in response to backlash after it postponed an appearance by Pulitzer prize-winning novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen over his criticism of Israel.
• Nguyen had signed onto a letter criticizing Israeli attacks on Gaza as disproportionate.
• Following 92NY's decision to postpone Nguyen's event, several other artists and writers decided to cancel their appearances at the venue, including writers Hannah Gold, Chris Kraus, Hari Kundzlu, and Andrea Long Chu.
• The situation led to an unspecified number of 92NY staff resignations, with reports stating that the demise of Nguyen's appearance seemed extreme, unreasonable, and reflected a partisan bias within the organization.
• The decision to halt the series followed allegations that 92NY's recent actions have had a chilling effect on free speech and accusations of it taking a 'pro-war' stance.

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