( CNN ) -- Jacqueline Woodson 's big win at the National Book Awards on Wednesday was briefly eclipsed by a racially charged joke . After Woodson accepted an award for her memoir `` Brown Girl Dreaming , '' host Daniel Handler shared an anecdote he learned over the summer : that Woodson , who is black , is allergic to watermelon . `` Just let that sink in your mind , '' said Handler , who writes popular children 's books under the pen name Lemony Snicket . The non sequitur elicited a few laughs and uncomfortable titters from the audience . Handler went on to say that he advised Woodson to write a book that featured a black girl with a watermelon allergy . Watermelon is historically evoked as a favorite food among black people in racist jokes , and it 's considered by many to be an offensive reference . Handler said that Woodson , who won the National Book Award for Young People 's Literature , told him he should write the book instead . `` I 'm only writing a book about a black girl who is allergic to watermelon if I get a blurb from you , Cornell West , Toni Morrison , and Barack Obama saying this guy 's OK , '' Handler said , with a laugh . After a clip from the awards ceremony was posed on C-SPAN , viewers and some prominent writers quickly took to Twitter to denounce Handler 's comments as racist and a distraction from Woodson 's accomplishment . Handler responded with several apologetic tweets , including : `` My remarks on Wednesday night at # NBAwards were monstrously inappropriate and yes , racist . '' Handler also pledged to donate $ 10,000 to the We Need Diverse Books campaign and match others ' donations for 24 hours up to $ 100,000 . Woodson 's post-ceremony social media posts have expressed her happiness about the award and have not mentioned Handler 's joke . The author did not respond to a request for comment on the incident . Other 2014 National Book Award winners included : . Fiction : Phil Klay , `` Redeployment '' Nonfiction : Evan Osnos , `` Age of Ambition : Chasing Fortune , Truth , and Faith in the New China '' Poetry : Louise Gluck , `` Faithful and Virtuous Night ''
Jacqueline Woodson won the National Book Award for the book ` ` Brown Girl Dreaming '' After she accepted the award , ` ` Lemony ' '' author Daniel Handler shared a story . Handler said he told Woodson to write about a black girl who is allergic to cats . Handler later apologized for the story , which many saw as ` ` racist '' and inappropriate .