Why non-POC writing POC stories is problematic (explained by a South Asian writer/reader), a thread:

It takes away opportunities for POC writers themselves. We can write similar stories, but we can be denied when other non-POC writers are accepted for writing something of the same culture.

You can write a story about POC, but you can't write about what it means to be POC. You can be interested in a culture, but it doesn't mean you can rep it. Even if you're married to/related to a POC, it doesn't give you the authority to speak on that culture and experience!

@desrelly said this: "If the author isn't contributing their own experiences to a narrative (ownvoices), then they're not in a position of expertise to be teaching others on that topic. The mic is not [theirs] to have." You can write diverse stories even without having the mic!

Oftentimes, the culture can be diluted/whitewashed. @IntrovertGemini said this: "It's hard enough finding stories that are 100% [POC] by [POC] but to add a western element whitewashes it and then it's no longer celebratory of those people." Again, VERY IMPORTANT!!

Thanks to @mxronnieriley for sharing something that got this thread started!! This was all the result of a discussion on our AMAZING discord server for all things publishing (which includes the funny and cool @AlwxWrites). Please join if you want: https://discord.gg/qrGRg9KS