Diversity in SF and Fantasy

[saellys]

Really helpful stuff. I'm going to spread the link around Tumblr if that's cool with you.

 

[Devor]

Really helpful stuff. I'm going to spread the link around Tumblr if that's cool with you.

Do you mean the thread link or the link to Chilari's blog?

 

[saellys]

Do you mean the thread link or the link to Chilari's blog?

The link to Chilari's blog post, to avoid any "tl;dr" reactions.

 

[Chilari]

Saellys, please do. I've added a link to this thread at the bottom of my post too.

 

[Philip Overby]

Interesting essay from Strange Horizons that may be worth checking out for those interested in this discussion. It talks about how to view science fiction and fantasy from a non-Anglocentric POV. I only skimmed it thus far, but I may give more thoughts on it once I have time to read the whole thing.

You can check it out here: Strange Horizons Articles: Recentering Science Fiction and the Fantastic: What would a non-Anglocentric understanding of science fiction and fantasy look like?, by Bodhisattva Chattopadhyay

 

[Sanctified]

I'm trying to work out exactly what you mean with that first sentence. Can you give some examples of "the best diversity"? It doesn't matter to me whether someone was inspired by some dude's blog post or an essay in the Guardian to include more diversity in their work; it matters to me that they did it.

...

Yeah, I think you nailed it here. Writing doesn't happen in a vacuum, and most of the time, diversity doesn't just naturally spring up in people's writing. The things we write are, in part, products of our environments and experiences, and you may find it easier to default to a certain level of diversity because you're steeped in it, while other writers have to work to make it happen. Still other writers live in the same sort of melting pot, but might still struggle with only writing about one slice of humanity. Being aware of it is the important thing.

And for what it's worth, I think "write what you know" is bunk. That's what research is for. It's also why we're fantasy writers.

...


The solution that presents itself most readily to my mind is that you could read more women. Unless, of course, you were just being facetious about not having enough female authors in your list of favorites, in which case... okay?

Yes, I was being facetious. I found out the other day that a writer whose work I really enjoy is transgender. More power to her. I really like her writing, and that's what matters. I'd imagine she appreciates that -- people who appreciate her talent -- more than readers who decided to read her stuff because they needed a transgender author on their list. And if we're going to have this discussion, we ought to point out that folks advocating genderized lists are being disingenuous -- no one's writing blog posts fretting about the lack of male voices in any particular female-dominated genre.

The best diversity is natural diversity, like Colson Whitehead's "Zone One," a literary novel about survivors trying to re-establish New York City after a zombie apocalypse. The main character is black, but that's not even directly acknowledged through the first 3/4 of the book, it just is.

And I believe "write what you know" is more relevant than ever at a time when people don't peek around the sides of their smart phones long enough to learn about how the world really works. That applies to SF and fantasy as well, because we're reading and writing those stories through the lens of our own experiences.

 

[Feo Takahari]

If this topic has risen from its grave, I have one more author to bring up: Nancy Farmer. I first encountered her in the context of a book about Zimbabwe, and she knew so much about the region that I assumed she was from Zimbabwe--turned out she lived there for many years. Then I read a book from her about Mexico, and she was so well-informed I thought she was Mexican--she's a bit north of the border, as it happens. Apparently, she's done the same thing with a book about Scandinavia!

 

[Mindfire]

Yes, I was being facetious. I found out the other day that a writer whose work I really enjoy is transgender. More power to her. I really like her writing, and that's what matters. I'd imagine she appreciates that -- people who appreciate her talent -- more than readers who decided to read her stuff because they needed a transgender author on their list. And if we're going to have this discussion, we ought to point out that folks advocating genderized lists are being disingenuous -- no one's writing blog posts fretting about the lack of male voices in any particular female-dominated genre.

The best diversity is natural diversity, like Colson Whitehead's "Zone One," a literary novel about survivors trying to re-establish New York City after a zombie apocalypse. The main character is black, but that's not even directly acknowledged through the first 3/4 of the book, it just is.

And I believe "write what you know" is more relevant than ever at a time when people don't peek around the sides of their smart phones long enough to learn about how the world really works. That applies to SF and fantasy as well, because we're reading and writing those stories through the lens of our own experiences.

Okay I'm confused. What side are you on exactly?

 

[saellys]

Yes, I was being facetious. I found out the other day that a writer whose work I really enjoy is transgender. More power to her. I really like her writing, and that's what matters. I'd imagine she appreciates that -- people who appreciate her talent -- more than readers who decided to read her stuff because they needed a transgender author on their list. And if we're going to have this discussion, we ought to point out that folks advocating genderized lists are being disingenuous -- no one's writing blog posts fretting about the lack of male voices in any particular female-dominated genre.

I don't think there's anything wrong with purposefully seeking out work by specific kinds of human beings.

So far the only time I've seen writers mentioned "female-dominated" genres has been in the context of romance, usually accompanied by the implication that no self-respecting dude would ever want to write that genre. If you were referring to some other genre whose voices are overwhelmingly those of women, please let me know.

The best diversity is natural diversity, like Colson Whitehead's "Zone One," a literary novel about survivors trying to re-establish New York City after a zombie apocalypse. The main character is black, but that's not even directly acknowledged through the first 3/4 of the book, it just is.

I'm still not clear on what you consider "natural diversity". Based on the example you gave, we can't possibly know whether the author set out purposefully to include a person of color as a protagonist, or if it just happened that way. And the thing is that with a decent writer, you won't be able to tell from the story itself.

And I believe "write what you know" is more relevant than ever at a time when people don't peek around the sides of their smart phones long enough to learn about how the world really works. That applies to SF and fantasy as well, because we're reading and writing those stories through the lens of our own experiences.

I'm interested in the opposite of "write what you know" for those exact reasons. Write what interests you. Write outside of your comfort zone. Write with respect and curiosity. Write to explore humanity.