An Author's Nightmare: My Experience at the ALA Conference in Chicago
My BCALA Experience turned dark within seconds due to the negligence of Tiffany Duck.
My Unfortunate Experience with the BCALA
One of my biggest dreams was to attend a Literary Award Show- win, lose, or draw, I wanted the experience, I wanted to see my books nominated and on the big screen. In January 2026, I committed to turning a 9-year hobby into a career. I did that by submitting several novels and novellas for nomination. What I didn’t expect was to submit 6 books for consideration to the only Black Literary Award Committee and be treated with unprofessionalism, disrespect, and betrayal. That's exactly what happened to me.
I contacted Tiffany Duck of the BCALA on January 9, 2026, by email, requesting information regarding the awards ceremony because I intended to travel to Chicago to attend. On February 17, 2026, she responded:
《《《 "Hello! The literary awards ceremony will be that Sunday night during the American Library Association Conference. Details are not finalized yet." 》》》
I relied on that information when making my travel plans. Based upon her response, I purchased conference registration, an ALA membership, airfare, hotel accommodations, and made other travel arrangements in order to attend what I believed would be the awards ceremony on Sunday night, which cost me around $2,000. I would soon find out that I did not need a ticket to attend the BCALA, which was a waste of money.
Tiffany Duck has been on this Committee for almost a decade, and with the information she gave me, I feel disgusted! Knowing that the BCALA was never, and never has been, at the ALA Conference makes this worse.
On June 23, 2026, I emailed Tiffany once more requesting confirmation of the event details. My email was opened but never answered. Because I received no response, I contacted the American Library Association directly to verify the information available to me.
《《 "Hi, I couldn't find any information regarding the Black Caucus Event on Sunday. What time will the event begin?" 》》
I was told by them, "6pm, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel. Based on the information I received, I believed I was attending the correct Sunday evening event. I flew to Chicago on Saturday, June 27, 2026. Upon arriving, I prepared for what I believed would be my first literary awards ceremony. I attended the Sunday evening BCALA event, greeted members, and remained there for approximately four hours waiting for the awards presentation.
During the event, I asked the newly elected BCALA President about the literary awards ceremony. He appeared confused and advised that he would investigate. Another attendee informed me that the awards ceremony had actually taken place the previous day, Saturday afternoon, while I was in transit to Chicago.
This was the first time I learned that the ceremony had already occurred. I became furious that I was intentionally lied to and ignored! Throughout the evening, several BCALA members expressed sympathy regarding what had happened and informed me that the situation was unacceptable. I was asked to provide copies of my communications with Ms. Duck, which I promptly submitted, along with supporting documentation and receipts related to my travel expenses. While I'm hoping this is resolved sooner than later, I will not hold my breath and I will not sit around waiting for justice to prevail.
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