Are Writers of Color Allowed to Not Write About Race?

In Percival Everett’s novel Erasure and its film adaptation American Fiction, the character Monk hopes to write novels that represent the human experience, but he is advised by his publisher to “write something ‘Blacker.’” For Monk, the push and pull of artist and audience results in a rueful depiction of familial and professional lives, but at its heart, his story asks the question: what is a writer of color permitted to write about? In this panel, Pia Chatterjee, Vanessa Hua, Dominic Lim, and Preeti Vangani explore the question of writing beyond race in traditional publishing. FREE, $10-$15 suggested donation

Host or Publisher Litquake, San Francisco's Literary Festival