We cried and sobbed and wept and bled tears. But when we were finished, all we could do was continue living.
Nnedi OkoraforRead
I think speculative fiction has fewer unspoken prerequisites than literary fiction for writers of color.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Speculative fiction allows for more diverse voices and perspectives compared to traditional literary fiction.
Nnedi Okorafor suggests that speculative fiction, which often includes elements of fantasy and science fiction, is more accessible for writers of color. This genre provides a platform that doesn't rely heavily on conventional standards and norms that can sometimes limit diverse representation in literary fiction.
Themes
Speculative FictionDiversityRepresentationWritersColor
In practice
Example use cases
This quote would be perfect for a panel discussion on the representation of marginalized voices in literature.
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My father, if anything, first and last, was a man of words. He loved stories; he didn't live for stories, exactly, but I think he lived through stories. I think, like many writers, he loved stories about things he had experienced as much as, if not more than, he loved the experiences themselves.
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Non-fiction, and in particular the literary memoir, the stylised recollection of personal experience, is often as much about character and story and emotion as fiction is.
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THE WRITER can get free of his writing only by using it, that is, by reading oneself. As if the aim of writing were to use what is already written as a launching pad for reading the writing to come. Moreover, what he has written is read in the process, hence constantly modified by his reading. The book is an unbearable totality. I write against a background of facets.
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I suppose books mean more than people to me anyway
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It really matters to writers to find and treasure readers, all the more when they're on the other side of the world.
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In literature, you know only what you imagine
Carlos FuentesRead