Writing Diversely with a Sensitive Touch

Issues of #ownvoices, sensitivity, and diverse representation are hot topics in literary and publishing circles. Writers of all stripes must be mindful of how to avoid two-dimensional or stereotypical representations on the page. Through a series of interactive practices and discussion, Yasmin Angoe, author and professional developmental editor and sensitivity reader with Tessera Editorial, will take writers on a deep dive into writing authentic characters and experiences and ensuring their representations are accurate and thoughtful. Participants will also get a clearer understanding of what sensitive writing is, entails, and why including it matters to both the reader and the writer.

Yasmin Angoe is a first-generation Ghanaian American and debut author of Her Name Is Knight. She is the 2020, recipient of the Sisters in Crime Eleanor Taylor Bland Award for Emerging Writers of Color and is a proud member of SinC, Crime Writers of Color, International Thriller Writers, and Mystery Writers of America. Yasmin was a middle and high school English teacher and works extensively as a sensitivity/authenticity reader and developmental editor. When not writing or editing, she is either watching movies, engrossed in a new audiobook, or daydreaming about the fact she probably should be writing.