23 Writers With Messages For Straight White Male Publishing

“Listen.”

posted on April 16, 2015, at 6:33 p.m.

Isaac Fitzgerald

BuzzFeed Staff

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Andrea Hickey / BuzzFeed

We asked attendees at the annual Association of Writers & Writing Programs conference if they had any messages for the predominantly white publishing industry. Here are their answers.

1. “Diversity is not publishing the one story. It’s publishing multiple stories from people of diverse backgrounds.”

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Isaac Fitzgerald / BuzzFeed

—Karissa Chen

2. “My main characters are not always black.”

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Isaac Fitzgerald / BuzzFeed

—Sophfronia Scott

3. “Read less straight white men.”

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Isaac Fitzgerald / BuzzFeed

—Natalie Eilbert

4. “We read. (And buy books.)”

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Isaac Fitzgerald / BuzzFeed

—Lisa Lucas

5. “Get over it.”

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Isaac Fitzgerald / BuzzFeed

—Susan Orlean

6. “Be honest.”

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Isaac Fitzgerald / BuzzFeed

—Yahdon Israel

7. “Listen.”

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Isaac Fitzgerald / BuzzFeed

—Lauren Hilger

8. “We owe you nothing.”

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Isaac Fitzgerald / BuzzFeed

—Amanda Bullock

9. “Grow up.”

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Isaac Fitzgerald / BuzzFeed

—Roxane Gay

10. “Look out the window.”

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Isaac Fitzgerald / BuzzFeed

—Jane Ciabattari

11. “Sit down and let us abolish you.”

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Isaac Fitzgerald / BuzzFeed

—Franny Choi

12. “Ain’t nobody got time for that!?!”

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Isaac Fitzgerald / BuzzFeed

—Ru Freeman

13. “Chill.”

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Isaac Fitzgerald / BuzzFeed

—Morgan Parker

14. “[I am an] Asian American author with an Asian American editor.”

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Isaac Fitzgerald / BuzzFeed

—Matthew Salesses

15. “She’s coming for you.”

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Isaac Fitzgerald / BuzzFeed

—Emily Bell and Amelia Gray

16. “Plz stop.”

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Isaac Fitzgerald / BuzzFeed

17. “We are not tokens.”

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Isaac Fitzgerald / BuzzFeed

—Rowan Hisayo Buchanan and T Kira Madden

18. “You have not doomed us. You’ve doomed yourselves.”

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Isaac Fitzgerald / BuzzFeed

—Saeed Jones

19. “ Pay attention to the world. (—Susan Sontag)”

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Isaac Fitzgerald / BuzzFeed

—Jynne Dilling Martin

20. “Hire women. Diversity makes you strong.”

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Isaac Fitzgerald / BuzzFeed

—Annelies Zijderveld

21. “We don’t need you.”

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Isaac Fitzgerald / BuzzFeed

—Jayson P. Smith

22. “Take a vacation (a long one).”

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Isaac Fitzgerald / BuzzFeed

—Chelsea Reimann and Meg Day

23. “Don’t assume that you are at the center.”

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Isaac Fitzgerald / BuzzFeed

—Cheryl Strayed

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1. “Diversity is not publishing the one story. It’s publishing multiple stories from people of diverse backgrounds.”

2. “My main characters are not always black.”

3. “Read less straight white men.”

4. “We read. (And buy books.)”

5. “Get over it.”

6. “Be honest.”

7. “Listen.”

8. “We owe you nothing.”

9. “Grow up.”

10. “Look out the window.”

11. “Sit down and let us abolish you.”

12. “Ain’t nobody got time for that!?!”

13. “Chill.”

14. “[I am an] Asian American author with an Asian American editor.”

15. “She’s coming for you.”

16. “Plz stop.”

17. “We are not tokens.”

18. “You have not doomed us. You’ve doomed yourselves.”

19. “ Pay attention to the world. (—Susan Sontag)”

20. “Hire women. Diversity makes you strong.”

21. “We don’t need you.”

22. “Take a vacation (a long one).”

23. “Don’t assume that you are at the center.”

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