Resources mentioned at the SDCC Normalizing Publishing panel
First off, sharing a stage with Nilah Magruder, Nicola Yoon, Cindy Pon, and Greg van Eekhout for the Normalizing Publishing panel was absolutely a highlight of my time at the San Diego Comic-Con.
We managed to cover a lot in a short amount of time! Including but not limited to:
the importance of in-person as well as online communities for creators from marginalized groups
in framing the conversation about a book, comic, etc., how it’s equally important to highlight a work’s diverse qualities and to not relegate it to only being discussed in the context of those qualities
how alienating it is to grow up never seeing characters or creators who reflect your culture and experiences
how when you’re trying to create characters outside your own culture and experiences, research and respect are key
We also mentioned a lot of specific resources! Also including but not limited to:
We Need Diverse Books and its publishing internship program
The Publishing Diversity Baseline Survey spearheaded by Lee and Low Books, which also offers the New Voices and New Visions awards
The Carl Brandon Society and its Con Or Bust support for people of color to attend science fiction & fantasy conventions
Voices At VONA, a multigenre writing workshop for people of color
Lambda Literary Emerging LGBTQ Voices writers retreat
Writing The Other by Nisi Shawl and Cynthia Ward
Thanks to all who came to the panel, and I’m happy to update this post with more info & links I’ve forgotten in post-con exhaustion!
