White Female Author Who Voices Black Characters

Stereotypes. They're everywhere. Researching in preparation for this interview, I read reviews of mainstream White authors who write Black voices.

One author stuck out for me because she hadn't written, to my knowledge, a Black woman lead before. Quite a few of the reviews were similar to this one, "I question why make the heroine a black woman if you are not going to attempt to create a dimensional character. All this author did was reinforce the same tired stereotypes."

As an author who writes characters who don't always look like me, this is a fear of mine. I don't want to write something that falls flat and is just a basic stereotype, which is why I don't write in some tropes.

I reached out to my friend Michel because I believe that she tries not to fall into the trap of stereotypes. 

It doesn't take much to reach out to ask a question to make sure that you understand what is happening within a culture before you try to write within it. But, sadly, many don't do this.

Join me and my friend Michel as she and I discuss what it means to be a White woman who, sometimes, writes through a different lens.