We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) will no
longer use the term #OwnVoices to refer to children’s literature or its
authors and we have removed mentions of #OwnVoices from previously
published blog posts. Moving forward, WNDB will use specific
descriptions that authors use for themselves and their characters
whenever possible (for example, “Korean American author,” or “autistic
protagonist”).
#OwnVoices was created as a hashtag
by author Corinne Duyvis in September 2015. It was originally intended
as a shorthand book recommendation tool in a Twitter thread, for readers
to recommend books by authors who openly shared the diverse identity of
their main characters. The hashtag was never intended to be used in a
broader capacity, but it has since expanded in its use to become a
“catch all” marketing term by the publishing industry. Using #OwnVoices
in this capacity raises issues due to the vagueness of the term, which
has then been used to place diverse creators in uncomfortable and
potentially unsafe situations. It is important to use the language that
authors want to celebrate about themselves and their characters.
We Need Diverse Books believes in
supporting diverse authors and their books, and we will continue to
uplift their voices through our programming.
[Image description: Graphic featuring a tiled background of diverse book covers, the WNDB logo, and text that reads, “Why We Need Diverse Books Is No Longer Using the Term #OwnVoices.”]
(Source: diversebooks.org)
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