Karen Wyld’s Literary Fellowship Canceled After Referring to Yahya Sinwar as a “Martyr”
The State Library of Queensland has withdrawn a $15,000 fellowship from Indigenous writer Karen Wyld after a resurfaced tweet described Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as a “martyr,” triggering political and public backlash just hours before the award announcement.
Award Ceremony Abruptly Canceled
The 2025 black&write! fellowships were scheduled to be announced on Tuesday, May 20. The program supports emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers with funding and publication opportunities. However, the ceremony was suddenly postponed following scrutiny of Wyld’s past social media activity.
Karen Wyld, a Martu writer based in South Australia, had been named one of the fellowship recipients for her manuscript focusing on the intergenerational trauma of the Stolen Generations.
Controversial Tweet Sparks Political Intervention
The controversy stemmed from a tweet posted by Wyld in October 2024, in which she praised Yahya Sinwar for his “resistance against colonialism,” calling him a “martyr.”
In response, the State Library quickly revoked Wyld’s award.
Judges Resign in Protest
Following the cancellation, at least four award judges resigned. One of them, Evelyn Araluen — a poet and recipient of the Stella Prize — expressed her dissatisfaction in a letter to the library. She stated she no longer wished to participate in a system that silences anti-genocide voices and puts pressure on artists. Araluen also noted that two of the books judged in her category directly addressed the issue of Gaza, raising concerns about whether jurors should now avoid selecting such titles.
Part of a Larger Pattern
This incident comes in the wake of a similar event in March 2024, when the State Library of Victoria canceled its workshop program due to authors’ support for Palestine. That decision also led to similar backlash from writers and staff within the organization.
From: tasnimnews