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Some questions
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From: AlwaysErin at aol.com <AlwaysErin>
Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1999 14:26:07 EDT
Like many who are writing in on the tail end of this month's topic, I have followed this discussion with interest--and I have saved much of it for later reflection and for sharing with others. I was pleased to read Marion Dane Bauer's post yesterday, written from the point of view of a white author who writes historical fiction for young people. The issues she brought up are ones I have found myself wondering about as I try to sort out the many complex viewpoints and ideas that have been brought to light here.
By way of introduction, I am an editorial consultant and literary agent specializing in children's literature, and in my recent former life as editor-in-chief at Northland Publishing, I worked with Kathy & Michael Lacapa and Cheryl Savageau on two books that have been mentioned positively more than once in recent weeks, LESS THAN HALF, MORE THAN WHOLE and MUSKRAT WILL BE SWIMMING. (I should also note that I worked with other authors on children's books that were not as well received by First Nations reviewers.)
I continue to work with authors who want to explore issues of racism, acceptance of diversity, and cultural pride--issues that work their way into the lives of all aware human beings today, young and old. Not all of these authors are Native, and yet I don't feel it is right to advise them to steer clear of all topics Native American. If we are truly to begin to integrate all points of view and advocate cross-cultural understanding, we need to embrace the idea that not only Native American people can write about all things Native, and white authors can have experiences touch their days, or stories come into their hearts unbidden, that involve Native cultures. Neither Anglos nor Natives nor any other minorities live in a vacuum; we interact with each other and affect each other in many, many ways, and literature should acknowledge this in its full spectrum. No writer should be censured for including cultures other than his or her own in a story; in fact, quite the opposite. We should celebrate inclusion.
I am not advocating unchecked telling of sacred stories by non-Natives or anything of that ilk; please don't misunderstand me. I am, however, advocating the close examination of the reverse racism that sometimes works its way into well-intentioned ideas. I don't feel that is any more productive to say that white writers should only write about purely white scenarios (if there is such a thing) or only Native writers should write about anything involving Native people or places than, perhaps, deciding that only homosexual marriages will be allowed for the next few decades, or women should make twice as much money as men, in order to restore balance to our culture. There needs to come a point where black-and-white thinking evolves into a rainbow of possibilities so that we can move forward with some measure of grace.
Marion made a good point that it's no wonder there aren't more minority characters in "mainstream" literature. Writers taking on anything outside of their own culture, even obliquely, must brace themselves for bitter criticism--and there's always something to be criticized. Though that's what keeps us batting these ideas around, it does indeed sometimes become weary. In the end I thank Eliza for her wise guidance, as well as everyone who has spoken up on this important topic. I have been given much to think about.
Erin Murphy
Received on Fri 29 Oct 1999 01:26:07 PM CDT
Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1999 14:26:07 EDT
Like many who are writing in on the tail end of this month's topic, I have followed this discussion with interest--and I have saved much of it for later reflection and for sharing with others. I was pleased to read Marion Dane Bauer's post yesterday, written from the point of view of a white author who writes historical fiction for young people. The issues she brought up are ones I have found myself wondering about as I try to sort out the many complex viewpoints and ideas that have been brought to light here.
By way of introduction, I am an editorial consultant and literary agent specializing in children's literature, and in my recent former life as editor-in-chief at Northland Publishing, I worked with Kathy & Michael Lacapa and Cheryl Savageau on two books that have been mentioned positively more than once in recent weeks, LESS THAN HALF, MORE THAN WHOLE and MUSKRAT WILL BE SWIMMING. (I should also note that I worked with other authors on children's books that were not as well received by First Nations reviewers.)
I continue to work with authors who want to explore issues of racism, acceptance of diversity, and cultural pride--issues that work their way into the lives of all aware human beings today, young and old. Not all of these authors are Native, and yet I don't feel it is right to advise them to steer clear of all topics Native American. If we are truly to begin to integrate all points of view and advocate cross-cultural understanding, we need to embrace the idea that not only Native American people can write about all things Native, and white authors can have experiences touch their days, or stories come into their hearts unbidden, that involve Native cultures. Neither Anglos nor Natives nor any other minorities live in a vacuum; we interact with each other and affect each other in many, many ways, and literature should acknowledge this in its full spectrum. No writer should be censured for including cultures other than his or her own in a story; in fact, quite the opposite. We should celebrate inclusion.
I am not advocating unchecked telling of sacred stories by non-Natives or anything of that ilk; please don't misunderstand me. I am, however, advocating the close examination of the reverse racism that sometimes works its way into well-intentioned ideas. I don't feel that is any more productive to say that white writers should only write about purely white scenarios (if there is such a thing) or only Native writers should write about anything involving Native people or places than, perhaps, deciding that only homosexual marriages will be allowed for the next few decades, or women should make twice as much money as men, in order to restore balance to our culture. There needs to come a point where black-and-white thinking evolves into a rainbow of possibilities so that we can move forward with some measure of grace.
Marion made a good point that it's no wonder there aren't more minority characters in "mainstream" literature. Writers taking on anything outside of their own culture, even obliquely, must brace themselves for bitter criticism--and there's always something to be criticized. Though that's what keeps us batting these ideas around, it does indeed sometimes become weary. In the end I thank Eliza for her wise guidance, as well as everyone who has spoken up on this important topic. I have been given much to think about.
Erin Murphy
Received on Fri 29 Oct 1999 01:26:07 PM CDT
