Kharma Kelley

PREVENTING “OTHERING” IN YOUR WRITING
(AND YOUR LIFE)

Am I creating a character whose identity and representation problematic in my story? How can I include characters and stories featuring underrepresented identities that are not harmful or toxic? As writers, we want to bring a bit of reality and diversity into our stories, however, we need awareness of not only our biases but the stereotypes and archetypes that have been perpetuated in literature. In this workshop, the audience will discover the underlying harm with “othering” marginalized characters and how to ideally prevent it.

  • How microaggressions are damaging to org culture and your writing.
  • How can I develop realistic challenges for my underrepresented characters that aren’t a “sad, basic cliché?”
  • Learn how to describe and depict characters without “othering” or tokenizing
  • What is “#Ownvoices” and why is it a step towards supporting equity?
  • Understanding cultural misrepresentation and identifying stereotypes that can hurt your book.
  • Writing with marginalized characters vs. writing about the marginalized experience