How do we write (and talk) about difference? That’s the question that University of King’s College MFA in Creative Nonfiction mentors Ayelet Tsabari and Charlotte Gill wanted to explore when they proposed an MFA seminar on Writing Across Cultures. Together with mentors Wanda Taylor and Cooper Lee Bombardier, they gathered online, and in a recorded session, discussed issues around cultural differences that contemporary creative nonfiction writers face on the page and students face in our MFA writing workshops. These included bias and appropriation, as well as thoughts on best practices for inclusion. As the mentors emphasize in the discussion, they don’t view themselves as experts on the issue: they too are engaged in the work of figuring this out, and this conversation is one aspect of ongoing efforts in the MFA in Creative Nonfiction to be open to exploring and understanding these important issues. Also included is a link to resources [PDF] that provide opportunities for further reading, thought and discussion.
