Decolonizing the Writing World

A primer of things to read and watch

Thank you for joining us here.

In the last few years, there has been an upswell of dialogue in the writing community about how racism, colonialism, and other oppressive power dynamics operate in creative writing spaces. Brilliant writers and educators like Felicia Rose Chavez, David Mura, Matthew Salesses, and the folks at Writing The Other have been at the forefront of this conversation.

For us this conversation is not only exciting but crucial. We’re following closely, reading widely, exploring how to keep decolonizing our space and our practices. We believe in breaking down the canon, throwing out the rules, and deeply questioning the unconscious beliefs we all bring into creative writing conversations. This is the way forward for the writing world that we want to be part of.

Below are some of the articles, books, and lectures that have influenced Firefly’s thinking. This list is by no means exhaustive. We’ve chosen to centre BIPOC writers and websites without paywalls.

Here’s to brave spaces, deep dialogue, and continued growth for the writing community, inside and outside of our walls.

The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop (book) by Felicia Rose Chavez

This book is a call-to-action for creative writing instructors, especially those working in academic institutions. A mix of memoir, reflection, and practical instructions, this is essential reading for anyone interested in these topics.


The Cultural Appropriation Primer (resource) by K. Tempest Bradford

Confused about what cultural appropriation is? K. Tempest Bradford from Writing The Other created this wide-reaching resource, answering pretty much any question you might have. For an overview, check out her webinar with Nisi Shawl.


Moving Beyond the Limitations of Language (article) by Justine Abigail Yu

A beautiful blog post about softening the imperialist hold of English in writing spaces. This writer is the editor/creator of the phenomenal Living Hyphen magazine.


Viet Thanh Nguyen Reveals How Writers’ Workshops Can Be Hostile (article)

“Literature and power cannot be separated.” Viet Thanh Nguyen reflects on his experience in writing workshops, and how what may seem like simple “rules” of writing are rooted in colonial thinking.


How Not to Write a Book about a Minority Experience (article) by Tajja Isen

An excellent article that speaks to the current tensions around race, power, and representation in publishing, and in particular looks at the complexity of the sensitivity reader.


25 Essential Notes on Craft (article) by Matthew Salesses

What is a “story”? What is "craft"? How do colonialism and racism impact how creative writing is taught? Matthew Salesses has written widely on this, and this article is one of the chapters of his excellent book, Craft in the Real World.


Decolonising Creative Writing: It’s about not conforming to techniques of the western canon (article) by Janice Pariat

A personal view into how one teacher applied Matthew Salesses’ book to their career teaching creative writing in their home of India.


Whose Story Is It To Tell? (blog post) by Ijeoma Oluo

A thoughtful piece about the questions writers can ask themselves when considering whether a story is “theirs” to tell.


How to Unlearn Everything: When it comes to writing the “other,” what questions are we not asking? (article) by Alexander Chee

An excellent piece about the complexities and pitfalls of writing from identities and experiences that aren't your own.


Pointing out Racism in Books is not an “Attack”, it’s a Call for Industry Reform (article) by Monisha Rajesh

An eye-opening article about the challenges of speaking out about racism and bias within the publishing industry.


WisCon38 Guest of Honour Speech (speech) by Hiromi Goto

A very beautiful speech about the importance of diverse storytelling, with questions that all writers should ask before writing about people from other backgrounds.


Ferguson, Whiteness as Default, & the Teaching of Creative Writing (article) by David Mura

Author David Mura writes about the experience of being a person of colour in majority-white creative writing spaces, and offers observations about how white and racialized people form writing community differently.


Who’s Consuming Whom? (video) by Aliette de Bodard, Amal El-Mohtar, Michi Trota, and K. Tempest Bradford from Writing The Other

An online round table conversation with four writers about diversity and representation in writing, created by Writing The Other.


Writing The Other (organization)

Writing The Other is an organization dedicated to helping people figure out how to write without harm. They offer many online resources, including live and on-demand courses and a podcast.

Unlearning the Ableist Writing Workshop (article) by Sarah Fawn Montgomery

An important article that outlines ways ableism can show up in writing spaces, how we can unlearn harmful messages about writing and disability, and most importantly encourage and support disabled writers.