The Rumpus Interview with Leland Cheuk
Leland Cheuk discusses his novel The Misadventures of Sulliver Pong, dark humor, cancer, morally corrupt characters, and his mother. ...more
Posts Tagged: writers of color
A Convergence of Selves
In an illuminating interview with Claire Schwartz for Guernica, writer Kai Cheng Thom discusses activism, the unique intersections felt by people of color in the queer community, consensual behavior, trauma, and the immigrant experience. It’s a lot of ground to cover, and in doing so she reveals the convergence of all these areas of concern into a singular identity she’s had to construct for herself:
...moreWhen you begin to define yourself as a queer person of color (qpoc) and transgender or transsexual and of color, you have to, in a sense, give birth to that.
Visible: Women Writers of Color #4: Jaquira Díaz
Jaquira Díaz discusses the challenge of writing about family members, her greatest joy as a writer, and her literary role models. ...more
Publishers Need Diversity, Too
The publishing industry is at a cultural turning point, with recognition and celebration of writers of color on the rise. But despite the surge in the publishing industry’s interest in works by writers of color, the people working behind the scenes still lack much-needed diversity.
...moreAn Explanation, Not a Justification
At Lit Hub, Joyce Chen explains The Seventh Wave’s reason for being (not that she needs to):
...moreWe were not trying to prove ourselves “right” or defy any odds to become a household name; we simply wanted to exist.
Visible: Women Writers of Color #3: Cole Lavalais
Cole Lavalais discusses her debut novel, Summer of the Cicadas, why she’s a huge fan of outlining, and the importance of dedicated communities for black writers. ...more
Progress in Speculative Fiction
David M. Perry writes for Pacific Standard on the newest wave of progressive speculative fiction. Perry writes in conversation with Daniel José Older, author of Shadowshaper and the Bone Street Rumba series.
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Visible: Women Writers of Color #2: Tania James
Tania James discusses her most recent novel, The Tusk That Did the Damage, the challenges of writing an elephant narrator, and the moment when she knew she could be a writer. ...more
When White Saviors Create Literary Journals
Hey! We’re white! And we all voted for Obama! Twice! We should do something to help the literary downtrodden.
American literature is already frustrating enough with publishing sorely lacking in diversity. But things can be even worse when the white-dominated industry tries too hard to appeal to writers of color.
...moreHeal Together
The Internet may have irreversibly altered the forms activism takes, but there is still room for change. Christopher Soto reflects on activist frameworks used in 2015 and offers their strategies for working toward a more inclusive poetry community in the future:
...moreI believe in critical conversations with my community, I believe in doing rehabilitative work for my community, I believe in repercussions but not in punishment.
The Conversation: Jayson Smith and A. H. Jerriod Avant
My responsibility is to not be negligent and cause unnecessary harm. To a listener or reader. My allegiance is only to truth. ...more
The Saturday Rumpus Interview: Vivian Lee
As an editor of color, one advantage I have is that writers of color are comfortable knowing I’m not asking for edits to artificially enhance or to cover up their race. It’s not weird to me that their characters look like them. ...more
The Conversation: Joshua Bennett and Camonghne Felix
What scares me in the current work is how much I trust the concept, what I’m trying to achieve. ...more
The Conversation: Jeremy Clark and Thiahera Nurse
I’m thinking about the difference between “I stay somewhere” and “I live somewhere.” ...more
Visible: Women Writers of Color #1: Desiree Cooper
Desiree Cooper discusses her debut collection of flash fiction, Know the Mother, what mother-writers need, and why motherhood is the only story she’s ever told. ...more
The Rumpus Interview with Kaitlyn Greenidge
Kaitlyn Greenidge discusses her debut novel, We Love You, Charlie Freeman, siblinghood and sisterhood, and finding a group to call “my people” in the larger literary world. ...more
A Crucial Conversation with the Self
...moreFor a black woman in a white world, a conversation with the self is crucial: for when she walks through that often-unwelcoming world she is subjected to confining perceptions of who she might be. When that world insists on racist and narrow paradigms, the diary gives these women a chance to scratch out and rewrite such definitions.
The Sunday Rumpus Interview: A Roundtable on Writing, Editing, and Race
With Lisa Factora-Borchers, Patrice Gopo, Jennifer Niesslein, Tamiko Nimura, and Deesha Philyaw. ...more
A Writer’s Labels
The problem, however, lies in the fact that, whenever these labels are internalized by those in positions of power, they flatten a writer’s experiences. They shrink someone to just a sliver of his or her identity.
Brandon Tensley writes for Pacific Standard on the limited roles available for writers of color.
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The Sunday Rumpus Essay: How To Make Sure Your Writing Is Forgotten
Do you really want to have to listen from the grave as students discuss your themes and scholars analyze your syntax and trace your influence? ...more
Afrofuturist Worries
...moreUnderwriting the words on that page are the counterposing sentiments I see in many writers I know, especially writers of color: At one pole there’s, I just want to be okay; I want my family/community to be okay. At the other pole there’s, If I only reach the mountaintop I’ll be respected, valid, wealthy, etc.
Building a Black Literary Movement
The New York Times Magazine profiles editor Chris Jackson and how he’s building a literary movement for writers of color:
...more‘‘The great tradition of black art, generally,’’ he started again, ‘‘is the ability—unlike American art in general—to tell the truth. Because it was formed around the great American poison, the thing that poisoned American consciousness and behavior: racism.
Letting Whiteness Go
Over at Salon, Erik Anderson tackles the “implicit whiteness of Literature,” hoping for a VIDA-like count devoted to writers of color.
...morePublishing on Coffee Sleeves
Artmaking is a particularly human occupation. It deserves celebrating in small and big ways.
Following the trend of microfiction on Chipotle bags and short story vending machines, a new endeavor from Coffee House Press called Coffee Sleeve Conversations is setting out to print works specifically from writers of color on coffee sleeves in the hopes of giving exposure to underrepresented voices and creating more diverse conversations.
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The Rumpus Interview with Elisa Gabbert
Author Elisa Gabbert talks about her books, The Self Unstable and The French Exit, diversity, publishing, whiteness, and writing in the Internet Age. ...more
The Saturday Rumpus Interview: Jennifer Baker
The more variation we see in life, the more it becomes less about seeing one type of book by marginalized people. ...more
Judging the Judges
...moreThis year’s judges of the National Book Award seem to agree that women’s nonfiction writing is abundant and prize-worthy. The 2015 nonfiction longlist includes seven female-authored books, out of 10, the largest percentage of female nominees in the prize’s history. The longlist also contains two books by people of color, compared to last year’s one.
Toward A More Colorful Masthead
A new, work-in-progress database of contemporary writers of color created by Durga Chew-Bose, Jazmine Hughes, Vijith Assar, and Buster Bylander aims “to create more visibility for writers of color, ease their access to publications, and build a platform that is both easy for editors to use and accurately represents the writers.”
...moreWhat If
Last week, Elisa Gabbert broke Twitter with her advice column addressing a white male writer’s anxieties about privilege and perspective. Christian Lorentzen followed up with the author for Vulture:
...moreBut let’s talk about it! What if? What if we changed things or at least considered changing things?