diversity
About That White as Default ThingPublishing Crawl
I describe myself as Asian. But white people don’t generally describe themselves as white; they have the privilege of not having to think about it. That’s why I will always, always read a character as white until told explicitly otherwise, and why I will never be able to see me in a racially “neutral” character.
Diverse Books Resource ListWritability
A curated list that makes it easy for readers looking for all manner of diverse books. While this is by no means an exhaustive list, there is a pretty sizable amount of really awesome lists that bring attention to books with representation all across the board.
Writing While WhiteEllen Bravo
Writing fiction requires a substantial mix of audacity and humility. The writer sets out to illuminate a sliver of reality. Even though that place may be achingly familiar, it will contain spaces and experiences the author has never lived. How do we fulfill our promise to the reader? The challenge is especially thorny for a white writer tackling issues of race.
Cultural Appropriation and the Fiction Writer’s DilemmaKill Zone
Continuing the discussion started on diversity and cultural appropriation in fiction…. Where is the line between imagination and cultural appropriation? Actors and musicians have faced that question for decades, but until recently, fiction writers seemed to have license to become, behind our pens, whoever we could convince readers we were.
A New Use For The Prefix Cis-Daily Writing Tips
Writing about gendered pronouns recently, I mentioned that “cis female” is a gender choice on Facebook. Gender-related terms that use the prefix Cis- are beginning to appear in the media as well. Cis- is the logical choice of prefix to denote “assigned at birth” in contrast with transgender, “not conforming to birth gender.”
Writing Diversity: How Can We Avoid Issues?Jami Gold
The real world is filled with diversity, and our stories should be the same way. That’s not an agenda, just a truth. For some writers, the fear of “getting it wrong” discourages them from including diverse elements. Yet the subjective nature of reading and everyone’s unique experiences (which can lead to different levels of sensitivity) means we can’t avoid all issues or make everyone happy no matter what we do.
Poets of Color on Rattling the Chains of the EstablishmentPublishing Perspectives
Gregory Pardlo and a trio of other acclaimed poets discuss their precarious working relationship with the publishing establishment.