Junot Díaz has stepped down as chairman of the Pulitzer Prize board, following the organization’s decision to open an independent review of the sexual-misconduct allegations against him, the New York Times reports.
“Mr. Díaz said he welcomed the review and would cooperate fully with it,” said the Pulitzer board in a statement.
The Pulitzer Prize–winning author was publicly accused of forcible kissing and sexual harassment one week ago when author Zinzi Clemmons, whose 2017 novel What We Lose earned her recognition as one of the National Book Foundation’s “5 Under 35,” confronted Díaz at a literary festival in Sydney, Australia. In the days since, more women have alleged that they too were victims of Díaz’s sexual harassment and “misogynistic abuse.”
While the author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao has been on the Pulitzer board since 2010, it was just last month that he was promoted to chairman. According to the board, Díaz offered to step down from his current role.
Díaz did not respond to the Times’ request for comment.
