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July 2005 That Look In Their Eyes Over the past few months, many ASJA members have taken my hand, grasped my shoulder and expressed their best wishes for the start of my term as president. But when I've looked into the eyes of many of these well-wishers, I have seen something else mixed with the goodwill -- a glimmer of what appears to be commiseration. To these members, I suspect, I have just embarked upon a voyage full of peril. They believe that the president of ASJA is to be encouraged yet pitied, like a person who bravely takes on the job of dismantling bombs. Specifically, I think the bombs that concern these members are the public criticisms that ASJA presidents, at times, receive. I've been in ASJA for 10 years, and I have seen members target presidents with a variety of names and allegations of transgressions. For some members, the recollection of these incidents may last longer than the memory of our presidents' achievements and the growth of our organization. I draw inspiration from Walter Freeman, the physician I recently wrote about in my book, The Lobotomist. Freeman had a remarkable and confounding ability to hear criticism without taking it personally. Sometimes, after critics had branded him a criminal lacking any sense of ethics, Freeman could greet them with genuine friendliness. I described one such encounter in the book: In the spring of 1948 at a cocktail party during the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in Washington, Freeman approached psychoanalytically-oriented opponent Henry Stack Sullivan with the greeting, "How goes it, Harry?" Sullivan's response shocked Freeman. "He raised his fists overhead, contorted his face, thoroughly enraged, saying, 'Why do you persist in annoying me?'" Another psychiatrist who overheard the exchange led Sullivan away.I hope I won't annoy ASJA members by behaving as if our occasional differences are professional, not personal. In any case, I don't regard the deflection of criticism as an important part of my job. When I began noticing the pitying looks of my well-wishers, I got the idea to check the duties of the president as outlined in ASJA's bylaws. (You might wonder why I hadn't done so sooner.) The by-laws simply state that my role is to preside at all meetings of the Society, of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Committee; to serve as chief executive of the organization; and to be a member ex-officio of all Committees. Nothing pitiable there, nor perilous. In fact, I interpret this nebulous position description as a license to do one of the most enjoyable jobs I've ever had: to promote ASJA in the community of writers, editors, publishers, literary agents, teachers and others who share our belief in the importance of nonfiction writing. My enthusiasm for the organization is genuine, because with ASJA's help, I have affiliated with a wonderful literary agent, published some of my most enjoyable work and found a home I treasure among colleagues I respect. To advance ASJA's cause, I want to build upon the work of my predecessor Lisa Collier Cool, the presidents who held office before her and others in the organization. Agents frequently exhort authors to create a platform, an audience of people eager to receive our ideas. That's good advice for an organization like ours, too. We already reach out to segments of the publishing community through our annual conference, our monthly Tip Sheet, our efforts on behalf of all writers in the recent settlement of our copyright infringement lawsuit, the soon-to-come ASJA Freelance Writer Search service, the work of our charitable trust and many other programs. But I believe there remain plenty of opportunities for ASJA to become better known in the community, especially among agents, editors, the news media, organizations of allied professionals, academics and writers in all geographic areas of the U.S. as well as abroad. And when ASJA and the astounding wealth of its pooled talent grow better known, we will all benefit. I'll provide more details as we move along. Meanwhile, please contact me any time with your comments, concerns -- and, yes, criticism.
JACK EL-HAI of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is president of ASJA. E-mail the president through www.asja.org/contact.php.
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