Stop Saying Diversity: Interlude. About Your Host.
Hello, my name is Shannon. You Killed my father, prepare to die.
Actually, I am not going to kill you, but, it has come to the attention of management that there seems to be some confusion.
Hello, I am your host Shannon. My preferred pronouns are they/them. I’m a gender fluid, wee chubby being who presents mainly as a Femme person.
I am Black.
Take a minute.
I know.
Here, being that there has been some confusion, let me show you a thing:
That, is me. Your host. The author with a big ole mouth. I am an Actual Black Person. Weird right? I mean, you’d think after reading some of my other articles here at Medium where I talk (too much according to some) about my Blackness, that it would be pretty ding dang clear.
I’m a Black person.
Another issue that has come up often is the idea that I am a brand new author.
Well.
No.
If you want some credentials, ahem.
- First published under a pseudonym (due to me being underage) in 1994. I was 17 and it was an angsty teenaged love poem about an older woman whom I was in desperate love with. The publication was a small staple/copied one. My payment was two copies in the mail. I didn’t tell a soul, it happened until about five years later.
- At last count, well over 100 publications in print and on the interwebs. Lots of stuff is unavailable or out of print now.
- I don’t have an MFA. I barely graduated high school. Not interested in getting one.
I could go on but I don’t want to.
I am not only a writer type person, I’m also an avid reader type person. I both read and create things and have at this point also been in the position of editor/gatekeeper. I written creatively, personally, and in the capacity of activist.
I know what I’m on about.
For the purpose of this series when I say lit world, or literary I’m not letting not literary outlets off the hook. I’m using it as a catchall because, ain’t nobody got time to list ALL the ways writing is put out into the world.
None of what I’m saying hasn’t been said before. I’ve said it before, others have said it before, others are saying it right now.
Let’s talk about what this isn’t about:
Being rejected. I cut my writer teeth in short fiction. I know rejection. It’s not a big deal. That said, rejection does have something to do with it. When rejections are premised on their proximity to or relatability to Whiteness, it is a problem.
This isn’t about the opinions of White people on what diversity means, on how marginalized people deal with it, the semantics of identity politics, or how marginalized people speaking up about/to these issues is automatically censorship.
Pro-tip: if you start talking about the First Amendment remember a few things. No literary or other outlets are the Government. Re-read the amendment, read it again, and one more time. Then come back, and look to see if the people you have decided are censoring White people are in fact the government. If so, please raise your anti-censorship flag high. If not, reconsider your position. And please stop.
I am also not here for tone policing on any level. Here is a pretty great article that captures a lot of how I feel about the issue.
While you are reading these, please remember I am a Black Person. This is the face I make when you ignore that.
See that face?
Please don’t make me do it.
And a special note here for some white folks who seem hell bent on “helping” and who are only working my last good nerve.
Before you decide to correct me, ask yourself a few questions.
- Am I also a Black writer?
- Have I written about being a Black writer?
- Are my psychic abilities good enough today to tell if this Black writer is correct about their lived experiences?
- Should I shut up and listen now?
If the answer to the first three is no, please say yes to #4. I know a lot of you are trying to come from a good place. I know you personally are a delightfully anti-racist super wonderful ally who does ALL THE WORK and gets none of the cookies and that must be hard.
But please, don’t.
Want to know more about me?
Read about me and my nerdiness at The Establishment. At the Establishment you can also read me writing about my genders. The bonus you get to see a photo of me as a baby potato.
Want some funny sex writing? Content warning on that one for attempted golden showers and gayness.
A piece that was my reaction to the extra judicial killings of Black folks in 2014.
How about a look at my first Pushcart Nominated non-fiction piece?
Want something else? How about some of my early experimental horror?
Or how about some of my early Hood Noir?
You can also click on my profile here at Medium and check out some other stuff.
Feelin’ like you’ve got dollars burnin holes in your pockets? Come buy some lit at my Etsy Shop. Drop some coins in my Paypal.
You can do all of these or none of these.
Just one precious thing, don’t bother me with your feelings about this issue. If you have white guilt feelings, white pride feelings, need to stick up for poor put upon editors feelings, general must defend something feelings- you get the gist. I don’t say this to be mean.
I say it for self preservation. If I were say ten years younger, I’d field every one of those feelings and discuss them/process them forever.
I’m old. I’m exhausted and I have too much shit to do. I do not have the reserves of energy to do that much heavy lifting for free. I’ve learned the hard way not to be anybody’s mule.
And frankly I’ve heard it all. From the gentlest of proddings to be nicer to White folks because unlearning a gajillion years of racism is hard, to having my life threatened. The only thing I haven’t heard is something like, holy shit Shannon I want to give you lots of money to teach these things. Here is money, begin the teaching.
If you are going to say the latter, speak up loud n proud.
Otherwise, shh. Please. If you must emote, do it in your own space. You can even link to me if you want to. Just don’t bother me.
And once more for the cheap seats: A Wild Black Person Appears.
