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In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—talk about writing better female characters. This is the second part of a two-part episode on the topic.   Here’s what we talk about: Words and descriptions to avoid when describing women Words and description to deeply consider before using them Gendered words to avoid or consider when writing about women The ridiculous misconceptions there are about the female body and how to describe the body and bodily functions right How the (male) author’s Point of View can skew descriptions and characterizations of female characters Making sure your own POV won’t get in the way of your female characters’ POVs Some final thoughts about the “strong female character” and how we should expand our definition of “strong” And here are the (re)sources we mentioned on the show:   “In response to boob plate” by Sam the Sword: https://samanthaswords.tumblr.com/post/62968403257/in-response-to-boob-plate “Women are sharing how little the men in their lives know about reproduction” by Brittany Wong: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/women-are-sharing-how-little-the-men-in-their-lives-know-about-reproduction_l_627e8906e4b0eb0f0711cb80 Tweet by Sabrinafon about her ex boyfriend’s beliefs about periods: https://twitter.com/Sabrinafon/status/1521981744668454913 Alice Oseman’s work: https://aliceoseman.com/ Kana Akatsuki’s Violet Evergarden: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violet_Evergarden “21 words we ONLY use to describe women” by Nadia Khan: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/21-words-we-use-only-describe-women-nadia-khan/ “Shrill, mumsy, bossy…” by Roshan McArthur: https://togetherband.org/blogs/news/words-that-describe-women “11 words we need to stop using to describe women” by Suzannah Weiss: https://www.bustle.com/articles/150273-11-words-we-need-to-stop-using-to-describe-women-because-housewife-doesnt-capture-anyones-job “Everyday misogyny: 122 subtly sexist words about women (and what to do about them) by thaliakr: http://sacraparental.com/2016/05/14/everyday-misogyny-122-subtly-sexist-words-women/ “7 words you should avoid using about women in the workplace” by Hayley Gleeson: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-01/words-you-should-avoid-using-about-women-in-the-workplace/7467848 “Don’t say I’m ‘dramatic’” by Jessica Bennett: https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/feminist-fight-club/almost-z-list-words-avoid-when-talking-about-women-sexist-language “Half of Brits don’t know where the vagina is – and it’s not just the men” by Victoria Waldersee: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/health/articles-reports/2019/03/08/half-brits-dont-know-where-vagina-and-its-not-just “I Don’t Want to Be the Strong Female Lead” by Brit Marling: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/07/opinion/sunday/brit-marling-women-movies.html Bethany’s Editing Your Novel's Structure: Tips, Tricks, and Checklists to Get You From Start to Finish: https://theartandscienceofwords.com/new-book-for-authors/   This week’s episode page can be found here: https://representationmatters.art/2022/06/30/s3e3    Subscribe to our newsletter here and get out Doing Diversity in Writing Toolkit, including our Calm the F*ck Down Checklist and Cultural Appropriation Checklist: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r3p6g8    As always, we’d love for you to join the conversation by filling out our questionnaires.    Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Writer Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/UUEbeEvxsdwk1kuy5   Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Reader Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/gTAg4qrvaCPtqVJ36    Website: https://representationmatters.art Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doingdiversityinwriting YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtHfIaeylIgbAWVy3E66lmw

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—talk about writing better female characters. This is the first part of a two-part episode on the topic.   Here’s what we talked about: That, in the US, women are estimated to buy 70–80% of fiction books There are way more male than female leads in children’s books That novels, on average and across the board, only have one female character to four male characters But that many readers FEEL like there are way more female protagonists these days than there are male protagonists  That women writers also have a tendency to write male characters, and that women are not exempt from perpetuating problematic female representations What kind of roles women tend to have in fiction A selection of tropes to avoid or seriously consider when writing female characters Some of the most persistent narrative structures that disempower and/or harm women Why it is important to write female characters better, even if books with badly written women are selling well  And here are the (re)sources we mentioned on the show:   “How many books per year do Americans read?” by Jamie Ballard: https://today.yougov.com/topics/lifestyle/articles-reports/2018/08/14/reading-books-men-women “Gender in twentieth-century children’s books” by Janice McCabe: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241647875_Gender_in_Twentieth-Century_Children%27s_Books “It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World, Even in a Pandemic Year: Portrayals of Female Characters in the Top U.S. Films of 2021” by Dr. Martha M. Lauzen: https://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/2021-Its-a-Mans-Celluloid-World-Report.pdf   “Women Buy Fiction in Bulk and Publishers Take Notice” by Trip Gabriel: https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/17/business/women-buy-fiction-in-bulk-and-publishers-take-notice.html “AI study finds that males are represented four times more than females in literature” by Maya Abu-Zahra: https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2022/04/ai-study-finds-that-males-are-represented-four-times-more-than-females-in-literature/ “Male leads in fiction sell 10 million more books on average than female leads” by Kelly Jensen: https://bookriot.com/male-leads-in-fiction/ “A new study shows that girls write fewer female characters as they get older” by Walker Caplan: https://lithub.com/a-new-study-shows-that-girls-write-fewer-female-characters-as-they-get-older/ RWBY TV Series: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3066242/ “The Problem with Female Protagonists” by Jo Eberhardt: https://writerunboxed.com/2016/08/06/the-problem-with-female-protagonists/ “Discussion Time: Why are there More Female Protagonists than Male?” by Beth: https://readingeverynight.wordpress.com/2017/11/04/discussion-time-why-are-there-more-female-protagonists-than-male/ 7 Figure Fiction by T. Taylor: https://7figurefiction.com/ “It is time to kill the cool girl trope” by Raha Murtuza: https://thermtide.com/14279/popular/it-is-time-to-kill-the-cool-girl-trope/ Gone Girl – Cool Girl: https://youtu.be/0o4heKCLeTs “Name That Trope: She’s hot! She’s cool! She’s one of the guys!” by Kelsey Wallace: https://www.bitchmedia.org/post/name-that-trope-the-super-hot-bro-girl How to Write About Sexual Assault: An Incomplete Guide by Salt and Sage Books: https://www.amazon.com/How-Write-About-Sexual-Assault-ebook/dp/B08DHHN82D  Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Pérez: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41104077-invisible-women  How NOT to Write Female Characters by Lucy V. Hay: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739262-how-not-to-write-female-characters “10 MORE SEXIST Tropes in Science Fiction and Fantasy” by DZA: https://youtu.be/oiooafKkVMI “I Don’t Want to Be the Strong Female Lead” by Brit Marling: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/07/opinion/sunday/brit-marling-women-movies.html “10 Best Tips for Writing Strong Female Characters” by

In this first episode of Season 3 of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—discuss how to write hair and head coverings.     Here’s what we talk about: That hair, hair care, and head coverings are often ethnically dictated and gendered That there is no such thing as “ethnic” hair: we all have ethnicity! How to describe different natural hair colors How to describe different hair textures Whether dreadlocks are cultural appropriation Who wears wigs and weaves, and for what reason That head coverings for men and women come into play in many ways that go beyond religion and what one’s culture dictates  How you can use descriptions of hair and head coverings to add layers to your POV characters  And here are the (re)sources we mentioned on the show: “Untangling the Symbolism of Art History’s Most Famous Redheads” by Sarah Dotson: https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-untangling-symbolism-art-historys-famous-redheads  “Seeing red: why we need to be sensitive about using the word ‘ginger’” by David Marsh: https://www.theguardian.com/media/mind-your-language/2014/jan/24/mind-your-language-red-hair  “3 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Address Redheads As ‘Gingers’” by Kali Hanson: https://www.howtobearedhead.com/3-reasons-why-you-shouldnt-address-redheads-as-gingers  “Writing About Hair: The Thick and Thin of Descriptions” by Sharla Rae: https://writersinthestormblog.com/2014/07/writing-about-hair-the-thick-and-thin-of-descriptions  “The East Asian women + colored hair trope” by Jess: https://writingwithcolor.tumblr.com/post/101115852994/the-east-asian-women-colored-hair-trope-an  “The Ultimate Black & Natural Hair Glossary” by Joanna Samuels: https://afrocenchix.com/blogs/afrohair/the-ultimate-black-natural-hair-glossary  How to Write Black Characters by Salt and Sage Books: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087ZSJ9BN  “Dear white people with dreadlocks: Some things to consider” by Emanuella Grinberg: https://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/31/living/white-dreadlocks-cultural-appropriation-feat/index.html  “Once in a Lifetime: The village of Huang Luo in China’s Guangxi Region is famous for the dramatically long hair worn by its female residents” by Linn Yaeger: https://www.vogue.com/projects/13548460/women-of-huang-luo-china-long-hair-tradition  “Niqab, How Does It Work? | THE BASICS, how to wear the niqab” by Niqabi Nextdoor: https://youtu.be/KAbsPFS8gus  “What are the differences between a niqab, a chador, an abaya, a burkha and a hijab?”: https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-differences-between-a-niqab-a-chador-an-abaya-a-burkha-and-a-hijab  “Women’s safety clothing not fit for purpose” by Matthew Gunther: https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/womens-safety-clothing-not-fit-for-purpose/1010138.article  “Employers Exposed When Women’s Safety Equipment Doesn’t Fit” by Fatima Hussein and Jaclyn Diaz: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/safety/employers-exposed-when-womens-safety-equipment-doesnt-fit  Tina from Glee: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1327801/characters/nm3206118  Mako Mori from Pacific Rim: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1663662/characters/nm0452860  GoGo Tomago from Big Hero 6: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2245084/characters/nm1512166  Einayim Petukhoth or Eyes Wide Open: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1424327 Unorthodox: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9815454  Crazy Rich Asians: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3104988  Steel Magnolias: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098384  Luke Cage: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3322314  Barbershop: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303714  Coming to America: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094898  The Boondocks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7Mly_Zj6gg Hair Love: https://youtu.be/kNw8V_Fkw28  Tamora Pierce’s work: https://www.tamora-pierce.net  Mulan: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120762  V for Vendetta: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0434409  The Boys: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11906

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—bring our season on Race and Ethnicity to an end by delving into some lingering some questions.    What we talked about If and how to use racial slurs in our writing When and how to acknowledge our characters’ racial history Whether authors are allowed to write POV characters belonging to a different community Co-writing with BIPOC authors as a white author The representation of Asian masculinity in Western media Being accused of being too political when including a diverse cast in our books How to make your cast more diverse when your characters aren’t human (Re)sources mentioned on the show The Marvel Cinematic Universe: https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/Timeline  The Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park in Macon: https://www.nps.gov/ocmu/index.htm  Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9376612  Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3748528  Crazy Rich Asians: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3104988  Nora Phoenix’s White House Men series: https://noraphoenix.com/my-books/  Finding Nemo: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266543  Mariëlle’s 52 Weeks of Writing Author Journal and Planner: https://mswordsmith.nl/journal   This week’s episode page can be found here: https://representationmatters.art/2022/04/07/s2e12   Subscribe to our newsletter here and get out Doing Diversity in Writing Toolkit, including our Calm the F*ck Down Checklist and Cultural Appropriation Checklist: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r3p6g8    As always, we’d love for you to join the conversation by filling out our questionnaires.    Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Writer Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/UUEbeEvxsdwk1kuy5   Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Reader Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/gTAg4qrvaCPtqVJ36    Website: https://representationmatters.art Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doingdiversityinwriting YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtHfIaeylIgbAWVy3E66lmw 

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—scratch the surface of an incredibly broad topic: writing interracial and intercultural relationships.    What we talked about That writing relationships between characters of different races and cultures is really not that different from writing relationships between characters who are not exactly the same for other reasons Questions to ask yourself and things to keep in mind when crafting interracial and intercultural relationships in your writing A ton of examples in which interracial and intercultural relationships are depicted well and convincingly (Re)sources mentioned on the show Payne Erskin’s The Mountain Girl: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11084308-the-mountain-girl  Disney’s Pocahontas: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114148  Stargate SG-1: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118480 The Karate Kid (1984): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087538 The Karate Kid (2010): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1155076 Kim’s Convenience: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5912064 Bend It Like Beckham: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286499 Blinded by the Light: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8266310 Sarfraz Mansoor’s Greetings from Bury Park: Race, Religion, and Rock N Roll: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001V7U6LE The Grand Budapest Hotel: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2278388 Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give: https://angiethomas.com/the-hate-u-give Benjamin Alire Saenz’s The Inexplicable Logic of My Life: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23447923-the-inexplicable-logic-of-my-life Kim Dare’s Axel’s Pup: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21522467-axel-s-pup The Marvel Cinematic Universe: https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/Timeline  Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter series: https://shadowhunters.com Never Have I Ever: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10062292 Bright: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5519340 Bridgerton: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8740790  Young Royals: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14664414  Bethany’s Editing Your Novel's Structure: Tips, Tricks, and Checklists to Get You From Start to Finish: https://theartandscienceofwords.com/new-book-for-authors   This week’s episode page can be found here: https://representationmatters.art/2022/03/29/s2e11    Subscribe to our newsletter here and get out Doing Diversity in Writing Toolkit, including our Calm the F*ck Down Checklist and Cultural Appropriation Checklist: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r3p6g8    As always, we’d love for you to join the conversation by filling out our questionnaires.    Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Writer Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/UUEbeEvxsdwk1kuy5   Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Reader Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/gTAg4qrvaCPtqVJ36  Don’t forget, you can find us at https://representationmatters.art, on https://www.facebook.com/doingdiversityinwriting, and on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtHfIaeylIgbAWVy3E66lmw

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—talk about naming our fictional characters.    What we talked about General things to look out for when picking our characters’ names All the different aspects that might influence which names make sense for your characters Where to look for names How to verify whether these names are appropriate for your characters or not (Re)sources mentioned on the show Think Baby Names: http://www.thinkbabynames.com Behind the Name: https://www.behindthename.com Behind the Surname: https://surnames.behindthename.com Mariëlle’s 52 Weeks of Writing Author Journal and Planner: https://mswordsmith.nl/journal   This week’s episode page can be found here: https://representationmatters.art/2022/03/24/s2e10   Subscribe to our newsletter here and get out Doing Diversity in Writing Toolkit, including our Calm the F*ck Down Checklist and Cultural Appropriation Checklist: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r3p6g8    As always, we’d love for you to join the conversation by filling out our questionnaires.    Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Writer Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/UUEbeEvxsdwk1kuy5   Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Reader Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/gTAg4qrvaCPtqVJ36    Don’t forget, you can find us at https://representationmatters.art, on https://www.facebook.com/doingdiversityinwriting, and on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtHfIaeylIgbAWVy3E66lmw

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—interview Clare Sager about building different worlds in our fiction.   Clare Sager is an office lackey turned full-time author. With both a bachelor of arts and a masters of arts in Creative Writing, she is now living her life-long dream of writing fantasy adventure stories of swoon-worthy, troublesome men and strong, sassy women who can handle them.   When she's not writing or master planning her next book, she's an editor, outline coach, and formatter. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, sewing, and lifting weights at the gym (she’s as shocked by the latter as anyone). Her stationery addiction knows no bounds, with a washi tape and fountain pen collection to rival that of a stationery store. She loves to spend time chilling out with her planner plotting world domination. She likes cats, coffee, and cocktails, and speaks fluent sarcasm.    What we talked about Why Clare felt compelled to build a different world for her fictional characters How consistently asking yourself “What if…?” will help you build better fictional worlds How to use a coin (or dice!) to populate your world with a wide set of characters  That diverse characters are just like any other characters The importance of being curious about the world and remaining open to what there is to learn (Re)sources mentioned on the show All about Clare: https://claresager.com  Clare’s books: https://claresager.com/books  Clare’s author services: https://services.claresager.com  The Decolonial Atlas: https://decolonialatlas.wordpress.com Writing the Other Tumblr: https://writingtheother.tumblr.com Ann Leckie, author of Ancillary Justice: https://annleckie.com  Kalynn Bayron, author of Cinderella Is Dead: https://www.kalynnbayron.com/books Jessica M. Butler, author of Sweet Pear: https://www.jessicambutler.com  May Sage: https://www.goodreads.com/maysage  Bethany’s Editing Your Novel's Structure: Tips, Tricks, and Checklists to Get You From Start to Finish: https://theartandscienceofwords.com/new-book-for-authors/   This week’s episode page can be found here: https://representationmatters.art/2022/03/17/s2e9   Subscribe to our newsletter here and get out Doing Diversity in Writing Toolkit, including our Calm the F*ck Down Checklist and Cultural Appropriation Checklist: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r3p6g8    As always, we’d love for you to join the conversation by filling out our questionnaires.    Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Writer Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/UUEbeEvxsdwk1kuy5   Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Reader Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/gTAg4qrvaCPtqVJ36    Don’t forget, you can find us at https://representationmatters.art, on https://www.facebook.com/doingdiversityinwriting, and on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtHfIaeylIgbAWVy3E66lmw

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—take a pause to talk about what to do when hiring professionals to better your writing is not an option (yet).    What we talked about That there’s privilege in being able to advice others to do it right or not do it at all That not everyone has the same resources going into publishing their work What options are out there for authors with limited or no budgets (Re)sources mentioned on the show “The different kinds of editing explained” by Mariëlle: https://mswordsmith.nl/editing-tips-tricks-different-kinds-editing-explained The Salt & Sage Books Incomplete Guides: https://books2read.com/ap/8Vy9vl/Salt-Sage-Books The Writers for Diversity Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/779217692216226 The Writing the Other website: https://writingtheother.com Writing the Other: A Practical Approach: https://writingtheother.com/the-book CritiqueMatch: https://critiquematch.com Scribophile: https://www.scribophile.com Mariëlle’s 52 Weeks of Writing Author Journal and Planner: https://mswordsmith.nl/journal   This week’s episode page can be found here: https://representationmatters.art/2022/03/10/s2e8/   Subscribe to our newsletter here and get out Doing Diversity in Writing Toolkit, including our Calm the F*ck Down Checklist and Cultural Appropriation Checklist: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r3p6g8    As always, we’d love for you to join the conversation by filling out our questionnaires.    Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Writer Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/UUEbeEvxsdwk1kuy5   Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Reader Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/gTAg4qrvaCPtqVJ36    Don’t forget, you can find us at https://representationmatters.art, on https://www.facebook.com/doingdiversityinwriting, and on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtHfIaeylIgbAWVy3E66lmw

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—ask Erin Olds, CEO of Salt & Sage Books, all our questions about sensitivity reading.   Who is Erin Olds?    Erin Olds loves to travel, read, and drink boba tea! She currently lives in Seattle, where she homeschools her two excellent children. Erin is the CEO of and editor at Salt & Sage Books, an editing company dedicated to kindness. With a degree in English and French, Erin has worked with authors of all ages her whole adult life. Her poetry and short fiction have been published in various journals and magazines and won a variety of awards. She is a hybrid published author, with several indie books out under a pen name and her first traditionally published book (still a secret!) in progress.   What we talked about What sensitivity reading is and who sensitivity readers are The kind of sensitivity reading requests Salt & Sage Books receives most often The emotional labor that goes into sensitivity reading Some alternative options for writers with limited budgets (Re)sources mentioned on the show The Salt & Sage Books website: https://www.saltandsagebooks.com The Salt & Sage Books Twitter account: https://twitter.com/saltandsagebook The Salt & Sage Books Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/saltandsagebooks The Salt & Sage Books Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/saltsagebooks The Salt & Sage Books Incomplete Guides: https://books2read.com/ap/8Vy9vl/Salt-Sage-Books Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao: https://xiranjayzhao.com  Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas: https://www.aiden-thomas.com/cemetery-boys  Ghost Squad by Claribel Ortega: https://www.claribelortega.com/ghostsquad  The Timber Falls series by Fiona West: https://fionawest.net/contemporary-books  Penny Reid’s work and blog: https://pennyreid.ninja Have Geek, Will Travel by Rebecca Blevins: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56610467-have-geek-will-travel  Sachiko Burton of Salt & Sage Books: https://www.saltandsagebooks.com/profiles/sachiko-burton  Bethany’s Editing Your Novel's Structure: Tips, Tricks, and Checklists to Get You From Start to Finish: https://theartandscienceofwords.com/new-book-for-authors   This week’s episode page can be found here: https://representationmatters.art/2022/03/03/s2e7/   Subscribe to our newsletter here and get out Doing Diversity in Writing Toolkit, including our Calm the F*ck Down Checklist and Cultural Appropriation Checklist: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r3p6g8    As always, we’d love for you to join the conversation by filling out our questionnaires.    Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Writer Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/UUEbeEvxsdwk1kuy5   Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Reader Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/gTAg4qrvaCPtqVJ36    Don’t forget, you can find us at https://representationmatters.art, on https://www.facebook.com/doingdiversityinwriting, and on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtHfIaeylIgbAWVy3E66lmw

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—discuss diversity and representation in Disney’s Encanto.    What we talked about All the ways in which diversity shows up in Encanto, from skin colour to body type, to the different roles the characters get to play How no cultural artefact, including Encanto, can speak for an entire community, and why that is OK How Encanto is a step in the right direction as far as diverse representation goes (Re)sources mentioned on the show   We didn’t mention all of these during the episode, but these are some of the resources we dug into while preparing for the recording.  ​​“With ‘Encanto,’ Colombia Is Finally Seen and Not Just Heard” by Leila Cobo: https://www.billboard.com/music/latin/encanto-colombia-positive-image-1235017931/ “Encanto Still Has Charm, Despite Generic Representation of Colombia” by Camilo Garzón: https://www.latinxproject.nyu.edu/intervenxions/encanto-still-has-charm-despite-generic-representation-of-colombia “I’m Colombian. Here’s what ‘Encanto’ means to me” by Arturo Serrano: http://www.nerds-feather.com/2021/11/im-colombian-heres-what-encanto-means.html “11 Latina Critics on ‘Encanto’” by Mujeres Problemáticas: https://latinamedia.co/encanto/ “Disney’s Encanto isn’t just about representation – it’s an act of defiance” by José Mariá Luna: https://www.polygon.com/22851932/encanto-disney-latine-colombia-in-movies Mariëlle’s 52 Weeks of Writing Author Journal and Planner: https://mswordsmith.nl/journal   This week’s episode page can be found here: https://representationmatters.art/2022/02/24/s2e6/   Subscribe to our newsletter here and get out Doing Diversity in Writing Toolkit, including our Calm the F*ck Down Checklist and Cultural Appropriation Checklist: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r3p6g8    As always, we’d love for you to join the conversation by filling out our questionnaires.    Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Writer Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/UUEbeEvxsdwk1kuy5   Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Reader Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/gTAg4qrvaCPtqVJ36    Don’t forget, you can find us at https://representationmatters.art and on https://www.facebook.com/doingdiversityinwriting 

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—interview Professor Grace L. Dillon about Indigenous Futurisms and how (not) to write Indigenous characters.    Grace L. Dillon (Anishinaabe with family, friends, and relatives from Bay Mills Nation and Garden River Nation with Aunties and Uncles also from the Saulteaux Nation) is Professor in the Indigenous Nations Studies Department in the School of Gender, Race, and Nations and also Affiliated Professor at English and Women, Gender, and Sexualities Departments at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on a range of interests including Indigenous Futurisms, Queer Indigenous Studies, Gender, Race, and Nations Theories and Methodologies courses, Climate and Environmental Justice(s) from Indigenous Perspectives, Reparations Justice, Resurgence Justice, Science Fiction, Indigenous Cinema, Popular Culture, Race and Social Justice, and early modern literature. (For her full biography, please check out the episode page on our website.)   What Grace shared with us   Why and how she coined the term Indigenous Futurisms What it was like to be a consultant as an Anishinaabe person to directors Scott Cooper and Guillermo del Toro Some behind-the-scenes stories about the filming of Twilight What true allyship looks like and how we can become an ally How we can honour someone else’s story Best practices of engaging with Indigenous communities Grace L Dillion’s academic email is: [email protected]   (Re)sources mentioned on the show and other recommendations by Grace L. Dillon, many of which are LGBTQ2+   Routledge Handbook of CoFuturisms, edited by Grace L. Dillon, Isiah Lavender III, Taryne Taylor, and Bodhisattva Chattopadhyay (forthcoming) Hachette Australia: https://www.hachette.com.au  Claire G. Coleman’s Terra Nullius (2017) and The Old Lie (2019) (South Coast Noongar People): https://clairegcoleman.com  Ellen Van Neerven’s Heat and Light (2014): https://ellenvanneervencurrie.wordpress.com/heat-and-light  Louise Erdrich’s Future Home of the Living God: A Novel (2017) (Anishinaabe): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34217599-future-home-of-the-living-god  Leanne Betasamosake Simpson’s This Accident of Being Lost: Songs and Stories (2017), Noopiming: The Cure for White Ladies (2021) and As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom Through Radical Resurgence (2017) (Anishinaabe): https://www.leannesimpson.ca  Cherie Dimaline’s The Marrow Thieves (2017) and Hunting by the Stars (Metis): https://cheriedimaline.com  Waubgeshig Rice’s Moon of the Crusted Snow (2018) (Anishinaabe): https://www.waub.ca  Harold Johnson’s Corvus (2015) (Cree): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26840855-corvus  Alexis Wright’s The Swan Book (2013 rpt. 2018) (Waanyi Nation): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18247932-the-swan-book  Gerald Vizenor’s Bearheart (1978) (Anishinaabe): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/871536.Bearheart  Leslie Marmon Silko’s Almanac of the Dead (1991) (Laguna Nation): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52385.Almanac_of_the_Dead  Australian First Nations Ambelin Kwaymullina’s trilogy The Interrogation of Ashala the Wolf (2012), The Disappearance of Ember Crow (2013), and The Foretelling of Georgie the Spider (2015): https://ambelin-kwaymullina.com.au  Indigenous Hawai’ian Christopher Kahunahana’s film Waikiki: http://www.waikikithemovie.com  Nalo Hopkinson’s many stories, including YA novels Sister Mine (2013) and The Chaos (2012): https://www.nalohopkinson.com  Andrea Hairston’s novels such as Mindscape, Redwood and Wildfire, Will Do Magic for Change, and Master of Poisons: http://andreahairston.com  Darcie Little Badger’s Elatsoe (2020) and A Snake Falls to Earth (2022) (Lipan Apache Nation): https://darcielittlebadger.wordpress.com  Zainab Amadahy’s Resistance (Afro-Canadian and Cherokee):

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—compare two F/F romance novels to talk about how to “Show, don’t tell” race and ethnicity in your writing.    What we talked about Caren J. Werlinger’s She Sings of Old, Unhappy, Far-off Things J.J. Arias’s The Single Matchmaker How these two authors use different ways, including names, food, comparisons, terms of endearment, and many more, to “Show, don’t tell” their characters’ races and ethnicities (Re)sources mentioned on the show Caren J. Werlinger’s She Sings of Old, Unhappy, Far-off Things: https://carenwerlinger.com/she-sings-of-old-unhappy-far-off-things/ J.J. Arias’s The Single Matchmaker: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56422641-the-single-matchmaker Mariëlle’s 52 Weeks of Writing Author Journal and Planner: https://mswordsmith.nl/journal   During the episode, we also mentioned some resources we both use when picking our characters’ names:  https://www.behindthename.com/ http://www.thinkbabynames.com/ https://www.etymonline.com/   This week’s episode page can be found here: https://representationmatters.art/2022/02/03/s2e4   Subscribe to our newsletter here and get out Doing Diversity in Writing Toolkit, including our Calm the F*ck Down Checklist and Cultural Appropriation Checklist: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r3p6g8    As always, we’d love for you to join the conversation by filling out our questionnaires.    Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Writer Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/UUEbeEvxsdwk1kuy5   Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Reader Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/gTAg4qrvaCPtqVJ36    Don’t forget, you can find us at https://representationmatters.art/ and on https://www.facebook.com/doingdiversityinwriting