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genericpuff · 5 months

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All That Glitters is Not Feminism - An Analysis of LO's Brand of "Feminism" and What Remains of its Fanbase (The Twist)

Alright y'all, I've been waiting a hot minute to talk about this because I wanted to see how it fully panned out before saying anything about it. And it's not even specifically about LO, but I do think it's very adjacent to it in a way that I'm sure you'll be shocked to hear. Much of it speaks to how we prop up white writers even at the expense of POC.

This is 'the twist' attached to my first post that I made just a couple hours ago that concerns an entirely other topic but I feel ties into this subject very well.

If you haven't heard, there's this author who recently fucked around in the Del Rey publishing scene.

Her name is Cait Corrain.

In the original tweet calling this person out, names were not dropped, but it was made very clear that what Cait did was unacceptable behavior.

You can read the entire thread that started it all from Xiran here:

There's also a GREAT recap thread from one of the affected authors, Bethany Baptiste:

I want to make it clear that Cait Corrain isn't just a debut author.

Cait Corrain is - or now, was (foreshadowing is a literary device that-) - a debut author who had an agent, a publishing deal with Del Rey (an imprint of Random House which is a MAJOR publisher) and even an upcoming Illumicrate deal - meaning, her book was going to be packaged in a monthly loot crate subscription shipped directly to people's doors, quite possibly one of the best marketing deals a debut author could ever get, usually unheard of in this industry. All the pre-reviews were strong and positive.

Cait's book was literally set up for success. All she had to do was sit back, relax, and watch the fruits of her labors roll in. She had written the book. It was ready for release. The hard part was technically over.

But I guess the racism brainrot got to her because as it turns out, since April - for EIGHT MONTHS - she's been making alternate accounts on GoodReads to review bomb the indie and debut works of her friends and peers, most of whom were POC and did not have the same opportunities set up for them as she did. There are loads of receipts to back this up that you can find in those above threads ^^^

To say that this is appalling is an understatement. This was an intentional and deliberate act of racism by a white queer writer who claimed to be "jealous" - of what, I can't imagine - so much so that she deliberately sabotaged her peers, people who had supported her and her book.

And then when she got caught? She doubled down on it and claimed it was a "friend", also an alternate account she made up.

The exchange between her and this made-up person is actually the funniest shit out of this entire thing, it's so poorly written and as soon as people noticed the time stamps were out of order, that was when it truly cemented her newfound clown status.

"oooooh he's standing right behind me, isn't he?" energy right here LMAO

yes keep expositing cait, that's really selling the "this is a genuine conversation that really happened with a real person" bit 🤡

Anyways, it became abundantly clear that Cait was just going to continue to dig her heels in over something she caused.

This has been a hot topic in the UnpopularLO Discord, not just because of how crazy of a situation it is that we had to talk about it - and we have people within the community who work in the literature and media sector - but because we noticed one very telling thing in the list of series that she had review bombed in her very own personal act of wrath.

You see, Cait made one fundamental mistake that led to her undoing - she didn't just review bomb the works of her peers, she positively reviewed her own book and others.

What's her book about though?

It's an Ariadne x Dionysus retelling set in space.

It's literally another "modern retelling" of Greek myth.

And wouldn't you know it, guess who else created a modern retelling of Greek myth that she included in her positive review raiding while she was sabotaging the work of her actual peers?

Now, I think it goes without saying that what I'm about to say should be taken with MOUNTAINS of salt, I'm sure a lot of you are reading the headline and going, "Ugh, really? You're gonna make this about LO? Could you give it a rest already???"

I need you to understand, with the current state of Rachel's fanbase and 'modern' Greek myth literature as a whole, at this point Lore Olympus - and the works that are literally inspired by it such as A Touch of Darkness - has basically become the shopping cart litmus test of basic decency. It's like when someone says they like Harry Potter - you can't take it automatically at good faith anymore, because there isn't a whole lot separating someone who simply liked Harry Potter as a kid and still rewatches the movies from time to time from someone who fully supports the politics and agenda of J.K. Rowling. No, not everyone who still watches the movies or reads the books fondly is a TERF by default, but it's justifiably a reason for suspicion when the consequences are often too dire to risk.

There's this thing that's been happening in the LO fanbase that I frankly saw coming, but has really recently started to hit its peak. It's what I call the "Kanye Effect", where the comic has become so absurd and backwards in its misogyny and white feminism that the only people who seem to be left supporting LO are the people who are legitimate white feminists and misogynists - because all the normal level-headed people fell off the comic ages ago (or transitioned into the critical side of the community).

I mentioned it in my last post, but it bears repeating - Rachel's fanbase has literally been shipping Hera, a victim of abuse, with her abuser, Kronos. I'm really hoping a lot of them realize how fucked up that is now that Hera herself has called it what it is - abuse - within the comic, but I also can't count on the LO fanbase picking up on that or even noticing it with how quickly people swipe through it each week, it's very apparent at this point that most of LO's readers don't know how to chew their food and don't pay attention when Persephone and Hades aren't onscreen.

But I'm digressing. Or am I? We're talking about Crown of Starlight after all. The debut Dionysus x Ariadne sci-fi/fantasy romance that was quite literally advertised using Lore Olympus as its baseline-

This. This is what the ongoing cultural erasure and white feminist uwu-fication of Greek myth is doing to the literary zeitgeist surrounding Greek myth as a whole. This is why we criticize Lore Olympus and works like it that are created by disingenuous people who only seek to use the assets of Greek myth material as a way to shoot themselves up into fame and stardom. This is why we demand better standards in the literature and webcomic industry, so that people like Rachel and Cait can't use their privileges to quite literally erase the source material that they used to make themselves famous in the first place.

If anything, Cait's actions didn't just affect the people she negatively review bombed, or the people she was affiliated with, but also the people she positively reviewed. While I don't support what Rachel creates, she wasn't the only one who Cait went out of her way to review positively from her alt accounts, there were many others as evident in the Google Doc - but all this really does is tarnish the legitimacy of these books and their ratings by artificially jacking up their numbers that are advertised to others.

Making Greek myth fanfiction or fun creative retellings was never the problem, but it's now being sabotaged alongside so many other genres and mediums by toxic white individuals who can't even keep themselves from committing hate crimes, let alone create something purely for entertainment that's transparent in its illegitimacy, lest it destroy the illusion that these people are qualified to speak over those whose voices are being stifled, often by these very same people. Many of these writers get caught and are still allowed to continue what they're doing - that was certainly what we feared with Cait.

Until today.

It was revealed today that Cait's book will no longer be featured in the Illumicrate May 2024 box.

Del Rey has dropped Crown of Starlight from their publishing schedule.

Daphne Press will be hopefully following suit.

And, most telling of all, Cait's own agent has severed ties with her.

For anyone not familiar with the inner workings of the publishing industry, Cait has essentially been blacklisted. Without an agent or a publishing house, she'll have to entirely rely on her own resources through self-publishing. Unless she manages to sneak her way back in under an alias (which I wouldn't put it past her to try) she no longer has access to the mainstream publishing industry that was already guaranteed for her before she let her 'jealousy' get the better of her.

Her career was already made for her. She had a red carpet laid out for her debut. Her book was getting good pre-reviews and she had quite literally nothing keeping her from her success. The best thing she could have done was nothing. Somewhere in her head, she made up a threat that didn't exist, and sealed her fate in acting on it, a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I think in these situations such as with Cait Corrain, Rachel Smythe, and - also recently and relevant - James Somerton, we need to become increasingly aware of how white voices are still overpowering POC voices, not just in their actions, but in the opportunities they're given over others which they then use to further stifle the voices of those they feel "threatened" by or feel entitled to speak over. While neither James nor Rachel have used sock puppet accounts to "take out the competition" (at least as far as we know lmao) James did quite literally steal the words and voices of queer writers who were deserving of their time in the spotlight, and Rachel's work is being quoted as "rewriting Greek myth" as if its blatant gentrification and appropriation should be marketed as some sort of positive.

It's all too common for these deeply-rooted prejudices to rear their ugly heads and for the people who carry them to act out in this way while justifying it as "jealousy" or "a mistake". This isn't jealousy. This isn't a mistake. This isn't someone "starting drama". This is genuine, targeted hate, with the intention of snuffing out the voices of others who should be empowered, not silenced.

All that time and effort, and for what? Racism and petty jealousy? It just goes to show, it doesn't matter how many opportunities you're given, how high up on the ladder you already are - it won't fix the deeply-rooted insecurity and racial pettiness that spurs people on to do such horrible things.

I've spent enough of my time and words today talking about Cait, and James, and Rachel. So to end this off, I want to join in with all the others who have highlighted the books that were review-bombed by Cait, and help in uplifting them so they can have successful debuts. I'll be pre-ordering a few of them, so I'll be happy to make dedicated posts for them in the future after they release. Please consider purchasing them for yourself if you want some new reading material <3

The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste:

So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole:

To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods by Molly X Chang:

Mistress of Lies by K.M. Enright

Voyage of the Damned by Frances White:

(I'm sure there are plenty others so if I missed any here, please let me know so I can add them here and check out their books!)

If there's any silver lining to this, I hope that it makes people aware of the media they consume and who it's being created by. I hope it makes people more willing to seek out the books that aren't getting the same opportunities as Cait Corrain and Rachel Smythe. I hope it's a wake-up call to the industry that matters like this need to be taken seriously and that POC writers are still being silenced under their own noses. And most of all, I hope it's a reminder that we shouldn't even need at this point that this behavior is not okay, no matter what level a person climbs to - that just because someone is part of one minority doesn't mean they're not capable of sabotaging another. It sucks that that has to be said, it sucks that despite these groups being so intersectional there are still people within them who submit to their deeply-rooted insecurities and find ways to feel threatened that they use to justify hateful behavior.

Having a platform is a privilege. It should never be weaponized against your own peers or those who you simply feel "threatened" by for no reason beyond your own imposter syndrome or doubts or internal struggles. Because as much as you may feel like you've earned where you are, that never gives you the right to weaponize your opportunities against others who were never given those same opportunities in the first place. "Feminism" is not using your power to crush "other women". "Progressiveness" is not exclusive to the progress that only benefits you.

I wish only the best to those who were affected by the actions of Cait Corrain. You deserve to be heard and seen and appreciated for the work you do and the abuse you've had to tolerate. I look forward to your debuts in 2024 <3

#cait corrain #support POC writers #crown of starlight #the poisons we drink #so let them burn #the voyage of the damned #mistress of lies #say isn't it funny how all the debut books cait tried to sabotage accurately describe her and her actions LOL #that's what we call irony #debut authors 2024 #booktok #webtoon critical #lore olympus critical #anti lore olympus

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goodluckclove · 6 days

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You Don't Need an Agent! Publishers That Accept Unsolicited Submissions

I see a few people sayin that you definitely need an agent to get published traditionally. Guess what? That's not remotely true. While an agent can be a very useful tool in finding and negotiating with publishers, going without is not as large of a hurdle as people might make it out to be!

Below is a list of some of the traditional publishers that offer reading periods for agent-less manuscripts. There might be more! Try looking for yourself - I promise it's not that scary!

Albert Whitman & Company: for picture books, middle-grade, and young adult fiction

Hydra (Part of Random House): for mainly LitRPG

Kensington Publishing: for a range of fiction and nonfiction

NCM Publishing: for all genres of fiction (YA included) and nonfiction

Pants of Fire Press: for middle-grade, YA, and adult fiction

Tin House Books: very limited submission period, but a good avenue for fiction, literary fiction, and poetry written by underrepresented communities

Quirk Fiction: offers odd-genre rep for represented and unagented authors. Unsolicited submissions inbox is closed at the moment but this is the page that'll update when it's open, and they produced some pretty big books so I'd keep an eye on this

Persea Books: for lit fiction, creative nonfiction, YA novels, and books focusing on contemporary issues

Baen: considered one of the best known publishers of sci-fi and fantasy. They don't need a history of publication.

Chicago Review Press: only accepting nonfiction at the moment, but maybe someone here writes nonfiction

Acre: for poetry, fiction and nonfiction. Special interest in underrepresented authors. Submission period just passed but for next year!

Coffeehouse Press: for lit fiction, nonfiction, poetry and translation. Reading period closed at time of posting, but keep an eye out

Ig: for queries on literary fiction and political/cultural nonfiction

Schaffner Press: for lit fiction, historical/crime fiction, or short fiction collections (cool)

Feminist Press: for international lit, hybrid memoirs, sci-fi and fantasy fiction especially from BIPOC, queer and trans voices

Evernight Publishing: for erotica. Royalties seem good and their response time is solid

Felony & Mayhem: for literary mystery fiction. Not currently looking for new work, but check back later

This is all what I could find in an hour. And it's not even everything, because I sifted out the expired links, the repeat genres (there are a lot of options for YA and children's authors), and I didn't even include a majority of smaller indie pubs where you can really do that weird shit.

A lot of them want you to query, but that's easy stuff once you figure it out. Lots of guides, and some even say how they want you to do it for them.

Not submitting to a Big 5 Trad Pub House does not make you any less of a writer. If you choose to work with any publishing house it can take a fair bit of weight off your shoulders in terms of design and distribution. You don't have to do it - I'm not - but if that's the way you want to go it's very, very, very possible.

Have a weirder manuscript that you don't think fits? Here's a list of 50 Indie Publishers looking for more experimental works to showcase and sell!

If Random House won't take your work - guess what? Maybe you're too cool for Random House.

#writing community #writeblr #on writing #writers on tumblr #authors of tumblr #queer writers #poc writer #trans writers #ya author #writing tips #writing resources #writing inspiration #writers supporting writers

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flightlessangelwings · 8 months

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Happy Latino/Hispanic Heritage Month!!!

To all Latine writers, artists, graphic makers, beta readers, and all members of the fandom: happy Latino/hispanic heritage month!!!

I know I’m off my game and posting this a few days after the start of heritage month but things have been busy and I lost track of time my bad 😅

Shouting out some of my fellow Latine friends here below!! Please follow and support Latine writers and artists, especially in fandoms of Latino actors like Pedro and Oscar!!! Support Latinos and support poc!!!

@flightlessangelwings @rae-gar-targaryen @moonlight-prose @marvelousmermaid @lavenderursa @dailyreverie @practicalghost @beskarboobs @heythere-mel @flordeamatista @simpingcowboy @pennyserenade @salome-c @edencherries @allegra-writes @castleamc @miguellohara @mrsmischief209 @juletheghoul @stargirlfics @tolkienblackgirl @furious-rogue-stuff @hausofmamadas

Here is also an extensive list of Latino writers to check out and follow and support!!

I’m sure I’ve forgotten people so please add to the list in the reblogs and let’s spread more love to our fellow Latine writers and artists here!!! ❤️❤️❤️

#hispanic heritage month #Latino heritage month #support poc #support Latino writers #pedro pascal #Pedro pascal fandom #Oscar Isaac #oscar isaac fandom

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apolline-lucy · 9 months

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THE SILVER BIRDS coming SEPT 26, 2023

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acoupofowls · 1 year

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OTHER & DIFFERENT: A Diverse Short Fiction Anthology by marginalised and/or underrepresented writers exploring what it is to be Other & Different. Expect Folklore, Fantasy, Gothic, Spec Fic, Sci-Fi, Weird, Horror, and Modern Fiction.

BACK OUR KICKSTARTER NOW!

Other & Different is the first print anthology brought to you by A Coup of Owls - home of online quarterly anthologies from creators from marginalised and/or underrepresented communities or backgrounds.

Other & Different will feature a collection of stories exploring the theme or Other and/or Different in whatever way the author has wished to explore or interpret it. THE STORIES

With a range of styles and genres expect: Folklore, Fantasy, Gothic, Speculative, Supernatural, Science Fiction, Weird, Horror, and Modern Fiction from our wonderful contributors -

Find out more about the writers and their stories on our website: acoupofowls.com/otherdifferent REWARDS

WHY KICKSTARTER?

We had hoped to cover all the costs of this anthology, however due to a change of circumstances this has become difficult and we want to ensure that we produce the high quality product that we know we can. To that end, our initial Kickstarter goal is for only partial coverage of the costs.

Help us continue to raise voices of marginalised and/or underrepresented writers by backing our Kickstarter!

#kickstarter #anthology #short stories #diverse fiction #queer fiction #lgbt fiction #poc writers #black writers #support writers #folklore #fantasy #speculative fiction #science fiction #sci fi writing #horror

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nellycanwrite · 1 year

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oh my god i just read your attuma fic and i love it!!!! anything you write is just *chef's kiss* scrumptiously delicious. and while i love fluffy, childhood-friends-to-lovers, heart warming fics, i also love angst 👹 man, the way the fic started off with reader's mother's death 🤺 it makes me curious of reader's upbringing and namor as a single parent. i actually got a little mermaid vibe from the fic (with the dead mother, overprotective father, reader's love for the surface)

anyways! i hope you have a good day, week, month, and year!! 🥳 i hope to read more stuff from you!!!

I LITERALLY CANNOT EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE FOR ALL IF YOUR KINDS WORDS PLEASE??😭💖 Y'ALL ARE KILLING ME WITH YOUR SUPPORT.

The Little Mermaid is actually one of my inspirations to write A Request! And I love love love childhood friends to lovers with a dash of Princess x Knight, so I just mish mashed those together and ta-da!

I might actually write a spin-off of single parent Namor with Child!Reader next time because that is just so precious🥺 Just imagine him trying to balance his life as a king, protector, god, and father; he'll have his flaws while raising his child, that's for sure. It'll be super interesting to write those said flaws and try to break down his character! He's just so complex and I love doing some character analysis on him!

And as for the angst—bestie I'm here to tell you that Part 2 of A Request is going to be...interesting? To say the least? Definitely not because I put a tad bit too much angst in there—//SLAPPED

ANYWAYS THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE YOUR KIND WORDS🥺 It literally just made my night! Love you lots nonnie MUAH!💖✨

#i always forget that im an angst writer part 847382738 #why does everything i write eventually turn to angst LMAO BYE #anyways😌#thank you for your support nonnie! you literally cheered me up when i was down!#muah!#attuma x princess!reader #attuma x poc!reader #attuma x you #attuma x reader #attuma fanfic #mcu x reader #namor #namor x reader #single parent!namor x child!reader (wholesome father-child relationship) mayhaps?)#YESSSSSS

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furylad · 6 months

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like look some people in this fandom are legit just crazy and acting in bad faith I'm sorry because lol

seriously????? that's your take away??? that's what you think the writers are doing???

what's even more bizarre is that. if I genuinely thought this about a piece of media...I would stop watching it and supporting it. if you genuinely think the writers are allowing characters to be racist to the main cast without consequence, why tf are you still watching?

#if I thought any of that was related to race or Izzy being racist I would outright not be watching the show or supporting it #why tf would I support racism #why tf are YOU supporting racism?!?!?!#unless you know it's not actually racist and you just hate the character and refuse to get over it #it just shows how detached they are from what the show actually is or even what the point of fandom is I stg #why are you a FAN of something when you think the writers are racist and intentionally making fun of POC viewers????#whenever I get that vibe from something I stop being a fan lmao

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reverie-verse · 9 months

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Are you still here?

Heyy Anon! Yes I am still here, I’ve just been in a not so great mental place and quite literally not in a great place. However I do have some good news, I am currently working on a few fics right now so that should be out soon. Im coming back don’t worry I just am working at a slower pace. Thanks for checking though I really do appreciate it! 🫶🏽

I hope you are doing well too. Make sure to drink plenty of water especially because it’s been so hot lately. Make sure you eat some food and relax, mental health is always important. You come first before anything else. 😊❤️

- Rie 🫶🏽✨

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flightlessangelwings · 2 years

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Happy Latine Heritage Month to all my fellow Latine writers and artists and readers and fans!!!

Please make sure you read and reblog from Latine writers and artists not only this month to celebrate but year round too! Especially in the Pedro, Oscar and Diego fandoms, support Latine (and all poc) creators!!

Tagging some of my Latine friends and mutuals as well!! Please give everyone a follow and check out their works too!! And feel free to add on to this list too so we can find and support other Latines in the fandom!!!

Also, I’d anyone wants an invite to my Pedro poc discord server, please send me a dm and I’ll link you!!

My masterlist

@rae-gar-targaryen . Masterlist

@clydesducktape . Masterlist

@marvelousmermaid . Masterlist

@castleamc . Masterlist

@writer-darling . Masterlist

@moonlight-prose . Masterlist

@dailyreverie . Masterlist

@healingstardust . Masterlist

@queridopascal . Masterlist

@allegra-writes . Masterlist

@practicalghost

@beskarboobs

@heythere-mel

@salome-c

@edencherries

@stevenngrant

Also @maladaptivexxdaydreaming has a big, wonderful list of Latine writers as well

#support poc #hispanic heritage month #latine heritage month #pedro pascal fandom #pedro pascal#oscar isaac #Diego Luna #marvel fic #marvel fanfic #marvel fanfic writer #x reader

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wanderingpages · 9 months

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Authors get cancelled for way less than she does she’s just so anti and it’s the fact that booktok makes people feel bad for wanting some inclusivity likee whattt this woman studies actual mental health issues on wikipedia like the actual definitions are from wikipedia come on now😭😭😭

Are we so demanding for not wanting every GROWN ass woman to be blonde light eyed look translucent??? And their genitals described

She’s one of those men who comments bubblegum pink under everyones post LMAO same energy

Lol I tried to type her name in tumblr and everyone’s praising her so far 💀💀

I’d rec Kennedy Ryan and Rebekah weathersppon for authors of color writing erotica and romance tho

#asks #this is gonna suck to hear but #just stop reading her shit lmao close her book #find writers of color #white people will usually never get poc right anyways #support authors of color

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peculiar-reblogs · 6 months

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More here [link]!

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sol-emers · 11 months

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It's no accident that:

You learned about Helen Keller but not W.E.B. DuBois.

You learned about the Watts and L.A. Riots, but not Tulsa or Wilmington.

You learned that George Washington’s dentures were made from wood, rather than the teeth of slaves.

You learned about black ghettos, but not about Black Wall Street.

You learned that Christopher Columbus discovered America, but not that his "conquests" also involved raping young girls and women.

You learned about the New Deal, but not “red lining.”

You learned about Tommie Smith’s fist in the air at the 1968 Olympics, but not that he was sent home the next day and stripped of his medals.

You learned that Rosa Parks sat on a bus, but not about her decade of activist work that led to that moment.

You learned about “black crime,” but white criminals were never lumped together and discussed in terms of their race.

You learned about “states rights” as the cause of the Civil War, but not that slavery was mentioned 80 times in the articles of secession.

You learned about the explorations of a few white men and little to nothing about the cultures they "explored."

You learned that interracial relationships became legal in 1967, but not that white men had an unofficial yet socially accepted right to rape Black women for the 400 years previous.

You learned about the Declaration of Independence, but not that it also declares an inherent right to wage war against "merciless Indian Savages."

You know about affirmative action for non-white college students, but have no idea about how the G.I. Bill provided the same exact benefits, only to whites, decades earlier.

Privilege includes having history rewritten so that you don’t have to acknowledge uncomfortable facts.

Racism and oppression are perpetuated by people who refuse to learn about or acknowledge this reality.

You have a choice

#support blm #blacklivesmatter #juneteenth #gay poc #poc writer #black girls are beautiful #black girl magic #support bipoc

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transgenderkris · 2 years

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btw i fucking hate disney and will never give them money and dont think anyone should, but i’m going to be happy when they release movies and shows where queer kids and kids of colour can--maybe for the first time!--see themselves in mainstream media and if you dont like that and youre gonna complain about seeing these clips that writers and animators fight tooth and nail to get out of disney, you can and should unfollow me.

#juice muses #i want disney to fucking dissolve #but that hasn't happened.#in the meantime i'm gonna be happy when writers can use it to get queer/poc stories told and shown around the world #going 'oh wow!! thats me!!! i'm gonna watch this!!' does not equal supporting disney lmao #bc guess where im gonna watch it. not anywhere that charges me money.#i still cry thinking about moana.

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paisholotus · 2 years

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Hey y'all just checking in. How y'all doing? Are you getting enough sleep? Eating well? Make sure you take a breather today and remind yourself you are enough.

Make sure that nothing disturbs your inner peace, because that's everything. Also remember to not get frustrated if you're not healing at the pace you want to. Healing takes time and patience.

Love y'all my boos 🤎

#black reader #black writers #black representation #poc writer #poc reader #mental heath support #mental health #daily check in #self post #disscussion

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emeryleewho · 8 months

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I keep seeing posts talking about the WGA/Sag-Aftra strike, which yes, good, but in all this "support writers" sentiment I'm seeing no one talk about book writers, which I think is something people should know more about right now.

We are at an all-time high for book bans, namely targeting queer & PoC-authored books. This means that a lot of schools and libraries are no longer stocking diverse YA books, and if you're not in publishing, you may not realize this but school & libraries are by far one of the biggest markets for diverse YA books.

This means that in 2023, YA book sales are down. This is also in part because Barnes & Noble (the largest physical book retailer in the U.S.) is no longer really stocking YA hardcovers. This means that marginalized authors and debut authors are struggling to sell books.

But it's a LOT worse than that. In the past couple of years, marginalized authors are *really* struggling to get new book deals. Most books are acquired by a publisher about 2 years before they release to the public, so this isn't all that noticeable yet, but a LOT of marginalized authors I've spoken to (myself included) have been unable to sell a new YA book since 2020. So while I had a book out last year, even if I sell one right now, you won't see it until 2025-2026. That's three to four years without a new release or the income I get from publishing those books.

On top of that, Big 5 publishers have started closing imprints (namely their diverse imprints) and have started telling their marginalized YA authors to just go. I've had multiple authors tell me their publisher basically said, "eh, we don't care to put in the work for you anymore. You can just go somewhere else". Of the authors who *are* getting offered new contracts, we're being offered pay far below the cost of living and we're being handed contracts that split our payments 4 or 5 ways and require we sign over our work to be used to train AI so they can replace us a few years down the road.

Authors are freelancers who own our IPs, which means we can't unionize the way Hollywood writers can, and despite authors showing up in droves to support HarperCollins employees when they went on strike for fair wages, we're being hung out to dry when it comes to our own rights.

If you enjoy diverse books, especially diverse YA, please understand that many of the authors you loved over the past 3-5 years are being forced out of the industry. We're being exploited, and we have no way to defend ourselves. Our books sales are drying up thanks to anti-queer legislation, our rights are being eaten up by AI, and our publishers are degrading us while profiting of us and refusing to share those profits with us.

Within the publishing industry, we've all been watching this decline happen over the last decade, but outside of it, I know most people have no idea what's going on so please spread the word. And if you care about diverse books especially in YA, please support marginalized authors in any way you can. The industry needs to be reminded that it needs us before we're all eliminated from it.

#Books #diverse books #author #publishing #sag aftra #writers strike #writers #labor rights #workers rights #wga strike

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