Romance Writers of America files for bankruptcy amid bitter racism battle | Books | The Guardian

On Wednesday, the RWA filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing millions of dollars it owes in contracts with conference centers for hotel rooms its shrinking membership can no longer fill. Since 2019, the RWA's membership has decreased from 10,000 people to roughly 2,000, according to court records.

In bankruptcy filings, RWA president Mary Ann Jock attributed the loss of the first 7,000 members to "disputes concerning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) issues between some members of a prior RWA board and others in the larger romance writing community", and said the group lost additional members as its annual conferences were cancelled during the pandemic.