Is My Novel Offensive? by Katy Waldman

From: http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2017/02/how_sensitivity_readers_from_minority_groups_are_changing_the_book_publishing.html How “sensitivity readers” are changing the publishing ecosystem—and raising new questions about what makes a great book. When Becky Albertalli published her first young adult novel, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, with the HarperCollins imprint Balzer and Bray in 2015, she never expected it to be controversial. She’d worked for years as a clinical psychologist specializing in gender nonconforming children and LGBTQ teens and adults.* Yet her book—about a closeted gay… Read More

The Nazi-Holocaust Survivor Romance Novel You Weren’t Waiting For, By Katherine Locke

From: http://forward.com/sisterhood/318755/nazi-romance August 7, 2015 A few weeks ago in New York City, Romance Writers of America held their annual conference. The agenda included the RITA awards, the equivalent of the Oscars of the romance writing world, and one of those nominees, for “Best Inspirational Romance” and “Best First Novel,” was a book called “For Such a Time” by Kate Breslin. “For Such a Time” is a retelling of the biblical book of… Read More

12 Fundamentals Of Writing “The Other” (And The Self), by D. J. Older

This is an excellent article to review when writing characters outside of ourselves. “12 Fundamentals Of Writing ‘The Other’ (And The Self)” by D. J. Older, author of the YA novel, Shadowshaper, among others.

A Guide to Black Hair #2 – Natural Styles, by Justina Ireland

Here is the second article in the series by Justina Ireland, A Guide to Black Hair #2 – Natural Styles — Justina Ireland. Note especially the “Red Flag Words” at the bottom of the article. Thank you, Justina, for helping avoid personal blind spots.

A Guide to Black Hair #1 – Relaxers, by Justina Ireland

Justina Ireland is a YA author, and as she says, Purveyor of Awesomeness. She is writing a series of articles, a Guide to Black Hair. Here is the first in the series, A Guide to Black Hair #1 – Relaxers. Hair is such an important part of a person’s identity. Most of us have dealt our entire life with one type of hair – whatever ours is – and it would be easy to… Read More

SCBWI Diversity Resources

Among the many excellent resources for writers on the SCBWI page is this collection of resources for reading and writing books with diverse perspective. Check it out!

Resources for Writing Marginalized Perspectives, by Dahlia Adler

Dahlia Adler provides excellent Resources for Writing Marginalized Perspectives on her blog, The Daily Dahlia.  

Diversity Resources for Writers

From We Need Diverse Books, this page offers Resources for Writers, particularly for authors who are writing about characters with qualities and background different from their own.