Creative Writing
Articles
- “After Decades of Dwarfs and Elves, Writers of Color Redefine Fantasy” | The Christian Science Monitor
- “Avoiding LGBTQ Stereotypes in YA Fiction” (five-part series) | Malinda Lo
- “Bilingual Authors Are Challenging the Practice of Italicizing Non-English Words” | Quartzy
- “Black Language Shouldn’t Have to Be Muted for White Readers” | Electric Literature
- “Combatting Stereotypes About Appalachian Dialects” | The Conversation
- “Confessions of a Sensitivity Reader” | Tablet Magazine
- “Decolonizing Nostalgia: When Historical Fiction Betrays Readers of Color” | The Horn Book
- “Diversity in Period TV Dramas Expected to ‘Grow and Grow'” | CBC
- “Don’t Make Violence and Abuse Just Another Plot Device in Your Novel” | CrimeReads
- “Editors Rejected Leonard Chang’s Novel Because His Characters Didn’t Act ‘Asian Enough'” | Bustle
- “Facial Expressions, Culture, and Stories” | The New York Times
- “Finding the Lost Voices with YA Historical Fiction” | The Open Book
- “A Guide for Skinny Writers Who Want to Write Fat Characters” | Sarah Hollowell
- “Hey, TV Writers—Here’s the Disabled Character You Need” | Autostraddle
- “How to Write Across Difference” | Literary Hub
- “Jewish Naming Practices” | Kveller
- “Kwame Alexander on Children’s Books and the Color of Characters” | The New York Times
- “Misconceptions About Arranged Marriage Abound. Romance Authors Are Here to Help.” | The Washington Post
- “The Myth of Whiteness in Classical Sculpture” | The New Yorker
- “Not Here to Make Friends” | BuzzFeed
- “On Deaf Literature” | Bloomsbury Literary Studies
- “#OwnVoices: Why We Need Diverse Authors in Children’s Literature” | Brightly
- “Should Fiction Be Timeless? Pop Culture References in Contemporary Novels” | Electric Literature
- “Staircases in Space: Why Are Places in Science Fiction Not Wheelchair-Accessible?” | io9
- “Taking Perspective: Personal Pronouns Affect Experiential Aspects of Literary Reading” | PLOS ONE
- “Tips for Writing Character Descriptions” | Playwrights’ Center
- “TV Producers, Stop Portraying Bisexuals as Villains” | The Washington Post
- “When Writing Fantasy, Black Magic Matters, Says Zetta Elliott” | Toronto Star
- “White Authors Are Still Writing Racist Books Because White Critics Won’t Call Them Out” | Quartz
- “Who Can Tell My Story” | The Horn Book
- “Who Gets to Write What?” | The New York Times
- “Writing Race: A Checklist for Writers” | Mitali Perkins
- “Yes, There Were People of Color in Pre-Modern Europe” | Pacific Standard
Resources
General
- A Cheat Sheet for Selling Diversity: Examples of how to pitch a story by focusing on humanity and relatability.
- D-PLACE: Database of places, language, culture, and environment.
- Diversity and Inclusion in Children’s and Young Adult Books: Overview of the conversation around diversity, inclusion, underrepresented voices, and identity.
- Sideways Dictionary: Analogies for explaining technology.
History
- A Different Asian American Timeline
- GLBTQ Archives: Encyclopedia of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer culture and history.
- People of Color in European Art History
Stereotypes, Clichés + Tropes
- American Indians in Children’s Literature: Critical analysis of indigenous peoples in children’s and young adult books.
- Disability in Kidlit: Blog dedicated to discussing the portrayal of disability in middle grade and young adult literature from the disabled perspective.
- DiversifyYA: Archive of interviews and first-hand stories about diversity and marginalized experiences.
- Latinxs in Kid Lit: Blog dedicated to Latinx young adult, middle grade, and children’s literature.
- Rich in Color: Blog dedicated to young adult fiction starring or written by people of color or people from First/Native Nations.
- TV Tropes: Catalog of tropes in storytelling.
- Writing With Color: Resources centered on racial and ethnic diversity.