I’m still chewing over the talk Book Twitter had this month about #ownvoices. A major review website, “We Need Diverse Books,” decided to stop using the #ownvoices label to describe works of fiction about marginalized characters by authors who share that marginalization, because the label has gotten to the point where it’s doing more harm than good.
I don’t disagree with WNDB’s decision. I like #ownvoices fiction, but if you’ve followed me for a while, you know I’ve never believed in only #ownvoices – and I’ve never cared as much about labels as I do about the narratives and beliefs that underlie them.
(Read the full post on Substack)