tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post5925760604163075613..comments2024-03-28T10:36:04.929-04:00Comments on Jungle Red Writers: The Jungle Reds Talk DiversityJungle Red Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646429819267618412noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-34069112906754859502019-02-05T05:09:16.904-05:002019-02-05T05:09:16.904-05:00Yes, of course. I think one of the current issues ...Yes, of course. I think one of the current issues is that the assumption of "what fits in" could be often be broader. And the books have potential to become more interesting when that happens.<br />Trisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08058396345946250313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-28341475949122437122019-02-04T21:20:37.558-05:002019-02-04T21:20:37.558-05:00Another (school) librarian chiming in here! I'...Another (school) librarian chiming in here! I'm curious (and a little late, so I won't be offended if no one replies) but do any of the authors here use sensitivity readers? In children and young adult literature, some authors have their manuscripts reviewed by someone who can catch unintended biases or flat out wrong information. Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05058472608641005270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-47051710037564826502019-02-04T18:59:19.218-05:002019-02-04T18:59:19.218-05:00Perfectly said, Sally. Perfectly said, Sally. Jenn McKinlayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13589365995413467367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-57783686075836698012019-02-04T18:58:59.060-05:002019-02-04T18:58:59.060-05:00Which is exactly as it should be.Which is exactly as it should be.Jenn McKinlayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13589365995413467367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-46375648261087520272019-02-04T18:58:40.462-05:002019-02-04T18:58:40.462-05:00Agreed! I don't like to be bludgeoned with wha...Agreed! I don't like to be bludgeoned with what other people tell me I "should" read. I'll pick my own books/movies thank you very much.Jenn McKinlayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13589365995413467367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-70687971656110146122019-02-04T18:03:37.427-05:002019-02-04T18:03:37.427-05:00I like descriptions of the characters whether whit...I like descriptions of the characters whether white, black, or green. I think it adds to the story. While I read for pleasure, I still like to learn things about people and places. If the author can write the story well then I'll read whatever characters they use. Sally from PAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03649707016754971847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-40145949379710752022019-02-04T17:38:32.210-05:002019-02-04T17:38:32.210-05:00I killed off a realtor in my first book, which wil...I killed off a realtor in my first book, which will never see the light of day again.Margaret S. Hamiltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07979191318652199350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-90769731817015532222019-02-04T17:04:46.344-05:002019-02-04T17:04:46.344-05:00I'm just looking for a good story. I don't...I'm just looking for a good story. I don't care what ethnicity/gender/race the characters are as long as they fit into the story like they belong.Pat Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12732230586783432052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-55090916083977612432019-02-04T15:10:21.335-05:002019-02-04T15:10:21.335-05:00Yes! That's exactly the sort of thing I had i...Yes! That's exactly the sort of thing I had in mind.Judihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06777683026890358953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-12598028900144959942019-02-04T14:47:30.270-05:002019-02-04T14:47:30.270-05:00Jenn, that presumes people actually read the stori...Jenn, that presumes people actually read the stories that would give them compassion and empathy.<br /><br />I know that I read what interests me. If it isn't something that interests me to begin with there is no chance I'll pick it up.<br /><br />This reminds me of the head of a women's studies department at a college near where I live. She wrote an opinion piece in the newspaper that offered a list of movies made by women that she said everyone should see. Mind you, it wasn't because that they were good movies. Her entire premise was that you should simply go see them because they were made by women. Seriously.<br /><br />Well that's just not how I pick my movies. I looked over the list and half the movies were documentaries. Which is an automatic "no" in my book. The rest of the movies featured two films that I'd seen, one or two that I might see and the rest that might as well have been documentaries because there wasn't a chance in hell of me going to see them.Jay Robertshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11409350742317719903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-60659261716251672562019-02-04T13:37:03.291-05:002019-02-04T13:37:03.291-05:00Yes, that is true. Especially if the book is suppo...Yes, that is true. Especially if the book is supposed to take place in anything even close to an urban center.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-16850691810986661842019-02-04T13:33:09.343-05:002019-02-04T13:33:09.343-05:00Ah, yes, when I was a children's librarian we ...Ah, yes, when I was a children's librarian we did battle over the book Heather Has Two Mommies. Some parents wanted it gone, but we refused -- and won. Ultimately, this is why I believe diversity matters in literature. Reading other people's stories gives us compassion and empathy without which we are lost.Jenn McKinlayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13589365995413467367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-2931991808104440722019-02-04T13:30:22.239-05:002019-02-04T13:30:22.239-05:00I also think of Alexander McCall Smith who writes ...I also think of Alexander McCall Smith who writes a black woman in Botswana. Talk about stepping out of your own world! And, yes, I've noticed I don't describe my white characters as white, which is weird, right? I also read a post by an author of color, who said to stop comparing skin color to food - black people are not lattes! And just guess what I had just done? *face palm* Now I just say brown, black, etc. Maybe we should just stick to hair and eye color or height - because you really couldn't describe me if you didn't start with "and she's freakishly tall". LOL! Jenn McKinlayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13589365995413467367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-32944448339603521192019-02-04T13:25:29.586-05:002019-02-04T13:25:29.586-05:00Excellent points, Mark. Cliches are killers. Snap!...Excellent points, Mark. Cliches are killers. Snap! That could be a title. Full disclosure: I tend to kill off snotty rich people. I blame growing up in CT with a lot of privileged country club types. It just makes the murder so much more satisfying for me. That's bad, right? Jenn McKinlayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13589365995413467367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-4180560623484249362019-02-04T13:20:50.492-05:002019-02-04T13:20:50.492-05:00I like that, Triss! Thanks for sharing Mosley'...I like that, Triss! Thanks for sharing Mosley's wise words.Jenn McKinlayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13589365995413467367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-7100566019946836322019-02-04T13:19:32.295-05:002019-02-04T13:19:32.295-05:00Indeed. Indeed. Jenn McKinlayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13589365995413467367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-56883707948817798632019-02-04T13:18:25.500-05:002019-02-04T13:18:25.500-05:00You would think that would be so, but clearly we a...You would think that would be so, but clearly we aren't there yet. Until everyone can embrace their fellow people as human beings first and foremost, we have a ways to go. In the meantime, it's important to appreciate our differences just as much as our sameness and to keep chipping away at the blindness of the haters.Jenn McKinlayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13589365995413467367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-7049512967923858632019-02-04T13:13:01.172-05:002019-02-04T13:13:01.172-05:00I agree 100%, Gigi.I agree 100%, Gigi.Jenn McKinlayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13589365995413467367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-60467493168793867872019-02-04T13:12:18.375-05:002019-02-04T13:12:18.375-05:00When it came out that Dumbledore was gay, I was th...When it came out that Dumbledore was gay, I was thrilled. For every kid who suffered in school, trying to hide their true self, to have the greatest wizard of all time be gay? Fantastic. Plus, the whole series is really about racism, which is a spectacularly brilliant way to teach tolerance and compassion. Jenn McKinlayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13589365995413467367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-79344616896596802022019-02-04T13:09:22.376-05:002019-02-04T13:09:22.376-05:00I don't seek them out but I have noticed if a ...I don't seek them out but I have noticed if a book has no diversity - usually because it's boring.Jenn McKinlayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13589365995413467367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-42897378565105867202019-02-04T13:08:10.178-05:002019-02-04T13:08:10.178-05:00Librarians should rule the world - just sayin'...Librarians should rule the world - just sayin'!Jenn McKinlayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13589365995413467367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-87780798099022549622019-02-04T13:07:20.523-05:002019-02-04T13:07:20.523-05:00Your neighborhood sounds like mine. We live just b...Your neighborhood sounds like mine. We live just beyond the ASU campus, so it's absolutely multicultural. I could do without the man buns (the mullet of the age) however.Jenn McKinlayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13589365995413467367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-21460684343224820882019-02-04T13:05:44.664-05:002019-02-04T13:05:44.664-05:00Me, too! I feel like women are so used to be told ...Me, too! I feel like women are so used to be told to just "smile more" that we forget we have teeth for other reasons. I like your style, Margaret!Jenn McKinlayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13589365995413467367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-79111444223847258262019-02-04T13:04:39.286-05:002019-02-04T13:04:39.286-05:00Amanda, I've been thinking about this a lot! O...Amanda, I've been thinking about this a lot! One of the reasons I dragged Naomi Hirahara onto the site last December was because I was feeling that we were lacking in representing multi-cultural authors. Plus, I love her series! I made a promise to myself last year that I would reach out more and offer up more diverse voices on JRW. Thank you for seconding my own thoughts! Jenn McKinlayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13589365995413467367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-57245715045132077702019-02-04T13:00:28.722-05:002019-02-04T13:00:28.722-05:00Yup. Which is why Acorn is one of my fave channels...Yup. Which is why Acorn is one of my fave channels!Jenn McKinlayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13589365995413467367noreply@blogger.com