30.05.2022 | Brussels
Who decides which stories get published, which stories are being promoted? Who speaks, who is heard? And why does this matter?
Inviting voices from different LGBTQI+ identities, guaranteeing gender balance and giving black voices a seat at the table: these are still not general practices in the literary world. Many strive for it but actual progress is slow.
Writer Dalilla Hermans, Raf Njotea, Ébissé Wakjira-Rouw, and agent Jessica Craig (US) discuss why changes at the top, both in publishing as in the festival circuit, are necessary for an inclusive literary sector. In a real inclusive literary climate, power is redistributed.
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00:00 - Introduction: diversity in the literary landscape
8:37 - What drives publishers? New voices, prestige-tokens and marketing
24:39 - The visible voices VS. the diverse experiences of minorities
42:25 - Talking to straight white men: can minorities write about anything besides being a minority?
53:30 - Questions from the audience