T192.
Her/Story: Appropriately Hers in Literature Featuring Young Characters
Thursday, March 24, 2022
1:45 pm to 3:00 pm
This panel—comprised of diverse female writers and academics—explores the narratives and counternarratives intrinsic to the self: LGBTQIA+, the Latinx and Caribbean American voice, Black, Caucasian, and biracial. We depart from the idea that it is imperative for authors to employ their culture and gender of origin. Sometimes characters from different backgrounds inhabit our work. This raises questions: Are we entitled to do this? Is a sensitivity reader sufficient? Is this acceptable—or not?
Participants
Pamela L. Laskin teaches graduate children's writing and directs the Poetry Outreach Center at the City College. She is the 2019 winner of the Leapfrog International Fiction contest for Why No Bhine. Atmosphere Press will soon be publishing The Lost Language of Crazy, a book about mental illness.
Suzanne Weyn is best known for her award-winning Bar Code Tattoo trilogy and her eco thriller, Empty. She teaches writing and children's literature at the City University of New York. Her comedic middle grade novel, Snapstreak, came out in 2018. Find her at suzanneweynbooks.com.
DuEwa Frazier is a Brooklyn-born poet, educator, author, and speaker. She received the 2021 Voices of Color Writing Fellowship from MVICW. Her stories for young readers include Alice's Musical Debut, Quincy Rules, and Deanne in the Middle. She earned an MFA in creative writing at The New School.
JP Howard's debut collection Say/Mirror was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award. JP’s poetry is widely anthologized. She has received fellowships from Cave Canem, Lambda Literary, and VONA/Voices. JP curates Women Writers in Bloom Poetry Salon.
Ellen Hagan
