7 Tips for Writing Across Cultures

By Sylvia Whitman, @SylviaWhitman

Part of the How They Do It Series

JH: There's a growing need for diverse books, but writing about cultures not your own is a tricky path to navigate. Please help me welcome Sylvia Whitman to the lecture hall today, to share some tips on writing across cultures.

Sylvia Whitman lives in Sarasota, Florida, and teaches writing as a visiting instructor at Ringling College of Art and Design. She has published hundreds of articles for adults and children, a dozen books for young readers, and a handful of short stories in magazines ranging from Redbook to The Florida Review. Her YA novel The Milk of Birds (Atheneum) was named one of the 2014 Bank Street College Best Children’s Books of the Year 2014 and an Amelia Bloomer Project best feminist book for young readers.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Take it away Sylvia...

Writing About Slavery in Historical Fiction

By E.R. Ramzipoor, @ER_Ramzipoor

Part of the How They Do It Series

JH: With some topics, it's tough to strike a balance between approaching the subject authentically but not romantically, and being honest about it without normalizing it. Today, E.R. Ramzipoor visits the lecture hall to share some tips on how to write about slavery in historical fiction.

E.R. Ramzipoor is a writer and freelance editor represented by Kristin Nelson of NLA. She is based in Oakland, CA. Her novel The Ventriloquists, about a World War II newspaper heist, is coming out August 2019.

Website | Twitter | Tumblr

Take it away E.R...

Token or Broken? Writing LGBT*

By E.R. Ramzipoor, @ER_Ramzipoor

Part of the How They Do It Series

JH: Writing about people different from ourselves has frequently been a challenge for writers, but our readers are just as diverse as the world we live in. Yet often, even when we want to write more diverse characters, we're not sure how. Today, E.R. Ramzipoor visits the lecture hall to share some tips on how to write LGBT* without falling into clichés and stereotypes.

E.R. is a writer and freelance editor represented by Kristin Nelson of NLA. She is based in Berkeley, CA, where she’s working on a novel about a World War II newspaper heist and writing about tech for Sift Science.

Website | Twitter | Tumblr

Take it away E.R...