Ysabelle Suarez – On Diversity in Fiction and Publishing

The past couple weeks have been full of turmoil and much needed conversations. Whether it was authors sharing how much they earn from publishing through the #PublishingPaidMe movement or readers cheering on authors of color and sharing books from #ownvoices, the reading and writing communities are abuzz with spreading awareness about social issues. I have Ysabelle Suarez with me today and we will be touching on these ideas as well. I have had the pleasure of working with Ysabelle at WriteHive and as a Diversity Ally, I am excited to learn from her.

Ysabelle, welcome to The Creator’s Roulette! In the broad sense, unrelated to books, what does diversity mean?

Diversity essentially means there being a variety of experiences seen in the story. That is, the characters are not the default cishet white. 

In action, it is commonly seen as having a cast with BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color). But it is not just enough to have characters with colored skin. They must also be fully fleshed characters. What I mean by this is that they must not be colored but still relying on the same dominant narrative that is derived from the same old thinking. This is because as BIPOC, we have different experiences from those who are white. We have different issues. We also come from different cultures, which instill in us a different worldview. 

Diversity also applies to neurodiversity, the portrayal of disabilities, and the representation of the LGBTQ+ community. However, I do know that while I am an ally, I cannot speak for these groups. So I’ll be focusing mainly on the BIPOC diversity angle. 

There have been a number of movements in publishing recently that highlight authors of color, multiculturalism and express social and political issues in a unique manner. In your mind, why is diversity an integral part of the conversations in publishing nowadays?

Without going into the current political climate, I think diversity in publishing is integral because how can one truly represent a diverse range of authors when there are acquiring editors who think that there is “enough” representation already? There are anecdotes of editors who sign only several diverse authors and consider this a job well done. 

Furthermore, #PublishingPaidMe shows the disparity in pay between Black authors, POC authors, and white authors. Yes, there is some range depending on your age category and genre, but for the most part, it is disheartening to see BIPOC being paid significantly less, even if their books are doing significantly better than those of their contemporaries. 

In a way, it stems from the thinking that people will not buy books by BIPOC because the narratives of BIPOC are not considered the “norm.” This has been proven wrong (see N.K. Jemisin of the three straight Hugos and multiple bestsellers) and yet it continues time and time again. By making the hashtag public, there is a transparency that was not there before. Transparency is the greatest way to affect institutional change, I believe, and hopefully this leads to change. 

By allowing a more diverse range of people within the publishing industry, this ensures that diverse voices are being heard and supported. It allows a genuine shift in industry practices that would make diverse authors feel more welcome, feel as if their voices are heard. 

As a writer whose WIP has diverse characters, have you come across any challenges on how you represent cultures and situations you have not experienced personally? 

I write diverse casts because I have never known the privilege of being white and not being afraid. But that is not enough. 

I have a Bachelor’s degree in International Politics and a Master’s in Political Science, so that does help me somewhat, in that I know the socio-political issues of the regions that I tend to draw my characters from (MENA and East Asia). However, what I do not know is the socio-cultural, especially that in MENA (the Middle East and North Africa). And so, the only way I can get over this challenge is by researching and reading widely. Not just scholarly references and history books from various authors (not just white, but also POC scholars), although these definitely help, but also reading OwnVoices and learning to recognize what is a good portrayal, from the racist stereotypes that often liter the media. 

Then when all is said and done, I know I’ll be looking for sensitivity readers. 

What role do sensitivity readers play when writing diverse characters?

Sensitivity readers are valuable because we do not have the same background as our characters. For example, I am a Filipina. So when I write characters from the Philippines, specifically those from Metro Manila, I am at my most confident in my portrayal of them. This is because I am drawing from my experiences, my own culture. 

I also recognize that as a Tagalog who has lived between Metro Manila and America, I only have a specific type of experience, one from privilege in my country. So if I were to write an Igorot or a Bangsamoro or someone from Visayas or even someone from Tondo? I would look for a sensitivity reader because I do not know of their specific experiences.

I write diverse casts. I am not Persian, as one of my characters is, which means that when I have polished my manuscript, I will be looking for a sensitivity reader. The same can be said for another manuscript where I have a character who is from a fantasy Ottoman Empire and practices a fantasy version of Islam. In that same story, I have a Black woman who is a prominent point of view character. I can research all I want, but I will never know the actual experiences that people of these backgrounds have. 

This is where sensitivity readers come in. They are people who have lived experiences that the author has not. BIPOC do not experience the same level of prejudices or racial stereotype. Nor can any one person claim to know the issues that another person experiences. Sensitivity readers are there to help the author better portray these characters of different cultures. 

I have explored representation of disability and the body previously on Creator’s Roulette. What are some ways to identify positive representations of diversity? 

First, let’s get into some broad examples of negative representations. These can go from a villain having a mental disorder while everyone else does not, to the only gay being killed, to the villain being Black and this being repeated while everyone is assumed white. Because the notion is to assume white unless specified, and this can go back to the dominant presence of white authors. The commonality between these examples is that they are the only one. 

If this diverse character is the only one in the cast to represent the type of diversity, then it is negative. This is because they then carry the weight of representing the type of diversity, while other characters do not have to. 

Another prominent way of negatively representing a diverse character is if they are only skin deep. That is, aside from the color of their skin, the character is still the same as every other (usually white) character.

Positive representations, to me, would mean that the characters are not just white people with tanned or dark skin. To me, a positive representation of diversity would be going beyond the skin level and having a character that has elements of the peoples they are supposed to be from. 

So when writing diversely, these characters, I believe, must also have something of their culture that is brought forth. For example, it is not just enough to go “She’s African.” No. Africa is a huge continent. Someone from South Africa has a different experience from someone from Sudan or someone from Nigeria. In the same way that “He’s East Asian” is not enough. Someone from China has a different lived in experience and culture, when compared to Japan, South Korea, or Taiwan. Someone from Beijing has different experiences from someone from Hong Kong. 

What does it mean to be an ally? How can writers be better allies?

I think being an ally means to support and amplify the diverse voices in the writing community. Writers can be better allies by looking at their own works, their own writing, and try their best to eliminate the harmful stereotypes and words that would be negative. Writers can be better allies by writing worlds that reflect the diversity there is. 

For the writers who are feeling particularly spicy and want to level up: Learn to unlearn what you’ve been taught about history and the role of Western Civilization. Learn to recognize that other regions of the world were more advanced prior to colonization, that colonization ruined several more advanced cities for the sake of “civilizing.” Learn to decolonize your thinking, and thus, decolonize your fiction. 

And before someone comes and says that the medieval world was white and Blacks didn’t come until the institution of slavery–
a) they’re factually wrong,
b) Islamic Spain began from the conquest of African Moors who brought along with them literacy rates unseen in Europe at that time, so stop with the “uncivilized Africa” narrative, and
c) there is an abundance of evidence of Blacks being present in societies at that time. 

How can readers be allies for diversity? 

Support diverse authors! This includes buying their books and spreading the word of mouth if you really liked it. And leave reviews, so that they know that their books are being read. 

Make an effort to read diversely. Otherwise, the publishing market will think that books by BIPOC are not selling good, and thus pull their support. While YA is the go-to for diversity (of all sorts) and has been for several years, Adult fantasy is now also diversifying, albeit a bit slower and not in the same splashy manner that YA tends to be. 

These diverse books may not always be headlined or promoted. There are instances of LGBTQ+ stories that the publisher doesn’t even announce. The reader will have to seek these stories out. But by purchasing them, or borrowing from libraries, then the publisher will know that these books are doing well. 

Time to gush and recommend some of your favorite books with diverse characters and settings!

There are a lot of diverse books these days, but I will try to keep it to five: 

• The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi — Written by a half Indian and half Filipino author, it has three half-Black characters (with a commentary on slavery), a Filipino POV, an Indian POV, a Jewish POV, and with LGBTQ+ representation and neurodiversity.
• The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang — Written by a Chinese-American writer, this fantasy is inspired by the events of the Pacific Theater during World War 2
• The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborthy — An example of a book with diverse characters, drawing from Persian and Arab traditions and myths, that is written by a white woman. The author converted to Islam.
• The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin — Written by an African-American writer. Honestly, any of her books will do, and they usually focus on conflict and oppression. The Inheritance Trilogy is my personal fave.

---

What are your suggestions for diverse books?

I hope you enjoyed this conversation with Ysabelle! Please share your thoughts in the comments below and connect with Ysabelle on Twitter.

Banner image from Unsplash