Editing Daniel Handler (section)

==Controversies==
===Remark about race===
At the November 2014 [[National Book Award]]s ceremony, Handler made a controversial remark after author [[Jacqueline Woodson]] was presented with an award for ''[[Brown Girl Dreaming]]''. During the ceremony, he said that Woodson was allergic to watermelon, a reference to the racist [[watermelon stereotype]]. His comments were immediately criticized;<ref>{{cite news |last=Gambino |first=Lauren |date= 20 November 2014 |title=Lemony Snicket apologizes for watermelon joke about black writer at National Book Awards |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/nov/20/lemony-snicket-apologizes-for-watermelon-joke-about-black-writer-at-national-book-awards |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=[[London]] |access-date=21 November 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.forward.com/the-shmooze/209629/lemony-snickets-series-of-unfortunate-racist-jokes/?|title=Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Racist Jokes|work=The Jewish Daily Forward|last=Cohen|first=Anne|date=November 20, 2014|access-date=30 November 2014}}</ref> Handler apologized and donated $10,000 to [[We Need Diverse Books]], and promised to match donations up to $100,000.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2014/11/21/daniel-handler-does-more-than-apologize-for-his-watermelon-joke/?tid=pm_lifestyle_pop|title=Daniel Handler does more than apologize for his 'watermelon' joke|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|last=Ohlheiser|first=Abby|date=21 November 2014|access-date=30 November 2014}}</ref> In a ''New York Times'' [[op-ed]] published shortly thereafter, "The Pain of the Watermelon Joke", Woodson wrote that "in making light of that deep and troubled history" with his joke, Handler had come from a place of ignorance, but underscored the need for her mission to "give people a sense of this country's brilliant and brutal history, so no one ever thinks they can walk onto a stage one evening and laugh at another's too often painful past".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/29/opinion/the-pain-of-the-watermelon-joke.html|title=The Pain of the Watermelon Joke|last=Woodson|first=Jacqueline|author-link=Jacqueline Woodson|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=28 November 2014|access-date=30 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/3610303/jacqueline-woodson-watermelon-racist-joke-lemony-snicket-daniel-handler-national-book-awards/|title=Jacqueline Woodson Responds to Racist Watermelon Joke|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|last=Frizell|first=Sam|date=29 November 2014|access-date=30 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/29/jacqueline-woodson-racist-joke_n_6240342.html|title=Award-Winning Author Jacqueline Woodson Responds To Racist Joke|work=[[The Huffington Post]]|publisher=[[Associated Press]]|date=29 November 2014|access-date=30 November 2014}}</ref>

===Allegations of inappropriate sexual comments===
In February 2018, Handler signed an online pledge to boycott conferences that do not have and enforce harassment policies. Underneath his comment, author Kate Messner recounted an incident in which Handler had made inappropriate jokes directed at her, such as "Are you a virgin, too?!" and "These children's book events always turn into orgies!"<ref name="vulture metoo">{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2018/02/lemony-snicket-accused-of-making-lewd-comments-about-women.html|title=Lemony Snicket Accused of Making Lewd Comments About Female Authors|work=[[Vulture (magazine)|Vulture]]|last=Lockett|first=Dee|date=22 February 2018|access-date=13 March 2018}}</ref> This led to many other women accusing Handler of verbal sexual harassment at book conferences; among the public accusations are stories of Handler telling a woman he had just met to kiss a random stranger, making crass comments to a teenage girl and walking off without apology when confronted, referring to a stranger as a "hot blonde" and making a "uni-ball" double entendre in front of young children. The incident occurred during the larger [[Me Too movement]].<ref name="vulture metoo"/><ref name="psmag metoo">{{cite news|url=https://psmag.com/social-justice/how-will-publishing-deal-with-lemony-snicket-amid-metoo|title=HOW WILL PUBLISHING DEAL WITH LEMONY SNICKET AMID #METOO?|work=[[Pacific Standard]]|last=Perry|first=David M.|date=21 February 2018|access-date=13 March 2018}}</ref>

Handler apologized for his behavior, saying, "It has never been my wish to insult any of my professional colleagues",<ref name="vulture metoo"/> "my sense of humor has not been for everyone",<ref name="psmag metoo"/> "as a survivor of sexual violence, I also know very well how words or behaviors that are harmless or even liberating to some people can be upsetting to others",<ref name="wp metoo"/> and "I am listening and willing to listen; I am learning and willing to learn."<ref name="vulture metoo"/> After this, [[Wesleyan University]] students began to protest Handler's upcoming planned [[commencement speech]] at the university.<ref name="wp metoo">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/author-cancels-graduation-speech-amid-harassment-allegations/2018/03/01/463698c2-1d9e-11e8-98f5-ceecfa8741b6_story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180302084322/https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/author-cancels-graduation-speech-amid-harassment-allegations/2018/03/01/463698c2-1d9e-11e8-98f5-ceecfa8741b6_story.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 March 2018|title=Author cancels graduation speech amid harassment allegations|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|last1=Binkley|first1=Collin|last2=Italie|first2=Hillel|date=1 March 2018|access-date=13 March 2018}}</ref> In March 2018, Wesleyan president [[Michael S. Roth]] announced that Handler had withdrawn from the appearance,<ref name="huff metoo">{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/lemony-snicket-sexual-comments-anita-hill_us_5a987536e4b089ec353871b1|title='Lemony Snicket' Out As Wesleyan Speaker Amid Reports Of Inappropriate Comments|work=[[HuffPost]]|last=Madani|first=Doha|date=2 March 2018|access-date=13 March 2018}}</ref> to be replaced by [[Anita Hill]].<ref name="wp metoo"/>