‘Educating Susan’: Decolonisation and Inclusivity in Creative Writing Pedagogy and Publishing
There have been several recent discussions on decolonisation, diversity, and inclusion in creative writing pedagogy and publishing, following the Black Lives Matter movement, #publishingpaidme on Twitter on racial disparities in pay, and reports such as ‘Rethinking Diversity’. But have these discussions led to meaningful changes in academia and publishing?
The ‘Rethinking Diversity’ report (2020) stated that publishers have a narrow understanding of their core reader, whom they describe as ‘a white, middle-class older woman sardonically referred to as Susan’, likely uninterested in books by writers of colour.