"Diversifying the Literary World" by Samantha Szumloz

Image Source: Initially from Harvard Business Review, found on brownicity.com

When we think of the phrase “classic authors,” who comes to mind? J.R.R. Tolkien? Virginia Woolf? Charles Dickens? Agatha Christie? We have heard of these names in our English classes and in the classic sections of bookstores. We may have even been required to read some of their pieces in school or by our grandmothers. Despite the decades of newly published works, they still make up a huge portion of the literary world. Even so, their popularity inside and outside educational spaces has created an impression that the literary world is an all-white realm, with no room for BIPOC authors to showcase their craft. Centuries of racism, bigotry, and discrimination have also played their parts in this imbalance. Because of these factors, BIPOC writers struggle to get recognized and, more importantly, get published. The publishing industry has made some strides with this issue over the years, such as establishing literary magazines and book publishing companies emphasizing BIPOC works. However, we still have much to work on. There are multiple ways we can continue making the literary world more inclusive for all.

First and foremost, to produce a stronger balance in the literary world, we can expand our editorial boards. Most editors have one goal in mind, and that is to produce stories that hook, inform, and inspire the public. Even so, when our editorial boards lack racial diversity, when editors share the same perceptions, backgrounds, and societal advantages, it can generate a narrow view on who can express their art and what art is supposed to express. This can create subconscious biases within publications, gatekeeping opportunities for marginalized writers and issuing works that only represent certain viewpoints and people. It is a chain reaction. So encouraging diversity within editorial boards will not only make publications more inclusive, but it will also ensure new stories and unique viewpoints.

Next, we can keep pushing for diversity by promoting BIPOC writers on our social media platforms and websites. All of us writers are trying to find an audience, a team of cheerleaders, to soak up our words. Why not be each other’s supporters? The online writing community is a vast, tight body—a network within a network. On the condition that we follow the right profiles, we will find the undiscovered talent buried beneath the surface. We can promote BIPOC writers online by posting their work on our social media stories and profile pages. We can write essays and reviews on their pieces. We can even blog about them on our websites. If we uplift the unrecognized voices in our community, perhaps the literary world will be uplifted, too.

Finally, we can make the realm better by integrating BIPOC writings into our homes. Whether they are books, poetry, short stories, etc., we can introduce them to the children in our families. The young mind is known for being a sponge. It can easily soak up information. The young mind is also impressionable. The stories we tell them linger inside them for long periods of time, possibly even lifetimes. Passing BIPOC writings to the younger generations will not only strengthen the future values of the literary world, but encourage more dialogue within school spaces about the representation of BIPOC communities in reading curricula. Discourse starts from the ground up.

We need a more welcoming literary world. We need stories that embrace differences, poetry that ignites change, and articles that call out racial injustice. We need safe spaces that celebrate all writers and their innovations, but the literary world, like the earth itself, is not perfect. There will always be readers and writers who resist diversity and cling to conformity. There will always be discrimination lurking in the shadows. Nevertheless, as long as we keep doing our part and improving on the areas we can improve, maybe, just maybe, the literary world will make more space for all people.