This -> “Publishers’ interest in amplifying Black voices wanes as media coverage peters out because “many white editors are not exposed to Black life beyond the headlines,” Ms. Brown said.” https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/12/11/opinion/culture/diversity-publishing-industry.html

I say it often with friends that so many white editors don’t have the range. And so what happens, as an agent, is you’re constantly trying to find ways to make a book by a poc translatable to white people. What is this white person going to gravitate to in this pitch.

I have literally received rejections where people were basically like not understanding the black character because the book wasn’t about their race. It’s like, Damn Jan, sometimes I just want a black character who is there and living their life without it being ABOUT race

Which is a funny thing right bc as poc we know our stories are always in some ways about race but what white people want is capital R Race discussions.

it’s so hard to have conversations about how there’s not enough black American folklore in fantasy books, for instance. To white people our culture is solely Africa. This is why it’s hard to talk about colorism in our poc communities... the prevalence of white Latinx authors etc

I’m too tired to even join in this discourse this time bc this has been the same discourse I’ve been having for like five years and I haven’t even been at it close to as long as some people it’s like we will talk today and white people will be guilty and then “business as usual.”

I’ve been trying to do more mentorship, more one on one mentorship, this year with some black junior editors and agents (since those are the things I have experience with) and listening to them... it hurts sometimes because it feels like they’re still going through what I did

White bosses who don’t support their growth, who say be thankful for what you have instead of recognizing that their assistant is moving at an amazing pace and they should be rewarded for that not slowed down because you feel they need to pay their dues.

This is why people leave. I’ve seen it again and again. And yeah @PocPub weve helped a lot of POC in this industry get jobs and so has @diversebooks but also, it’s hard when there’s no opportunities for these people to grow its hard to convince them to stick it out

And representation matters and @LatinxinPub and so many other orgs and initiatives im forgetting about!

On one hand, a solution for sure is more of us need to work together vs separate like I just saw that the AAR is starting a mentorship program and I’m like why not instead give funding to the orgs who already have mentorship programs!?!

But on the other hand a lot of us DO collaborate and the onus can’t continue to be on POC-led orgs (aka so much mental and emotional energy for us and burn out!!) to solve the problem. We can’t solve an institutional, systematic problem without support from the institutions.

Me: not engaging in the discourse this time
Also me: gestures at thread

Lol