Emerson College Library: Teach-in on Race 2021: Panel 5: Race in Storytelling & Art

Panel 5: Race in Storytelling and Art

Friday, October 29, 2:30pm-3:30pm

Description: How do authors and visual artists address race in their work? What are the advantages and/or disadvantages? What audiences do they hope to reach?

Panelists:

Jenn De Leon, Boston-based author, editor, professor
Susan Muaddi Darraj, author of Farah Rocks series and other books
Erin Genia, Boston Artist-in-Residence, prof of ceramics at Tufts
Moderator: Zoe Tokushige, MFA ‘16, author

Panelist Recommendations

The Prankmaster General: New School Skirmish
by Zoe Tokushige
Forthcoming | Fall 2022
Black and brown children not represented in children’s books
by Susan Muaddi Darraj | The Baltimore Sun
Cultural Emergency Response
by Erin Genia | City of Boston, Artists-in-Residence (AIR) program
In Our Way: Racism in Creative Writing
by Claudia Rankine | Association of Writers and Writing Programs

This essay was adapted from the keynote address at the 2016 AWP Conference & Bookfair in Los Angeles, California.

Resources related to Panel 5: Race in Storytelling and Art

How to raise your Palestinian children in the diaspora
by Susan Muaddi Daraj on MiddleEastEye.net
Our struggle is different to that of our parents, who spent their formative years in Palestine, so how can we make sure our children remain connected to their roots?
17 new books by Palestinian writers that are worth reading
by M. Lynx Qualey on MiddleEastEye.net
From scholarly works to fiction, poetry, and cookbooks, this non-exhaustive list of new and forthcoming titles showcases the breadth of contemporary Palestinian writing.
We Need Diverse Books
The We Need Diverse Books movement advocates change within the publishing industry to create and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people.
How Latinos Can Win the Culture War
by Elizabeth Méndez Berry and Mónica Ramírez | New York Times
"While we are everywhere in this country, from big cities to small towns, Latinos are largely missing from American media and culture, which makes us vulnerable."--from the article
On Oprah’s Book Club, "American Dirt" Author Faces Criticism
by Concepción de León | New York Times
On her Apple TV Plus show, Oprah Winfrey interviews "American Dirt" author Jeanine Cummins as well as three Latina writers critical of the book: Julissa Arce, an activist and author of “My (Underground) American Dream”; Esther Cepeda, a syndicated Washington Post columnist; and Reyna Grande, who has written several books about her experience crossing the border, including the memoir "The Distance Between Us."--from the article
Why Is Everyone Arguing About the Novel "American Dirt?"
by Rebecca Alter | Vulture
"American Dirt": Why Critics are Calling Oprah's Book Club Pick Exploitative and Divisive
by André Wheeler | The Guardian
Latinx writers say Jeanine Cummins’ novel uses stereotypes and exploits the suffering of Mexican immigrants.
My Mother, Who Could Have Been So Many Things
by Jennifer De Leon | WBUR.org
"She grew up in Guatemala City. I grew up in a Boston suburb. She could not finish high school in Guatemala. I am a college professor. She hates tests. I do, too."--from the article
Conversation with Authors Jenn De Leon and Celeste Ng via Porter Square Books
At Urbano Project, Artist Erin Genia Ties Together "Everything in the Universe"
by Cate McQuaid | Boston Globe
"Identifying with the land and all it offers is central to her aesthetic. Genia bases her art, and her lesson plan, on Dakota philosophy."--from the article
Spotlight Shifts to Ancestry Claim at Indigenous Exhibit
by Mark Shanahan | Boston Globe
"In March, just as an exhibition of work by Native American artists was coming together at the Fruitlands Museum, questions cropped up about the ancestry of the show's co-curator."--from the article
An Art Installation Along The Mystic River Streams Sounds Straight Into Your Ears
by Amelia Mason | WBUR.org
"What path you take, and how quickly, determines what you hear, the soundscape shifting smoothly as you move from one sonic realm to the next."--from the article