American Fiction - Critique of Authenticity in Storytelling
Sintara Golden:
I don't need to write about my life. I write about what interests people.
Thelonious Monk Ellison:
You write what interests white publishers fiending black trauma porn.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
American Fiction - Beyond Stereotypes: A Call for Complexity
Thelonious Monk Ellison:
You're not fed up with it? Black people in poverty, black people rapping, black people are slaves, black people murdered by police, whole soaring narratives about black folks in dire circumstances who still manage to maintain their dignity before they die.I mean, I'm not saying these things aren't real, but we're also more than this. It's like so many writers like you can't envision us without some white boot on our necks.
Sintara Golden: [[Bret Easton Ellis; [Charles Bukowski]
Do you get angry at ] or ] for writing about the downtrodden? Or is your ire reserved strictly for black women?
Thelonious Monk Ellison:
Nobody reads Bukowski thinking his is the definitive white experience, but people... white people read your book and confine us to it. They think we're all like that.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
American Fiction - Diverse Opinions on a Strong Expression
Ailene Hoover:
I think it's "Fuck" for me.
Jon Daniel Sigmarsen:
Yeah, me too.
Wilson Harnet:
Yeah, I agree.
Sintara Golden:
I disagree, I'm sorry.
Thelonious Monk Ellison:
I think it would be a mistake to award this book anything.
Jon Daniel Sigmarsen:
Well, it's 2 versus 3 so... "Fuck"'s the winner.
Ailene Hoover: [writing on board]
Fuck" is the winner. You know, it's not just that it's so affecting, I just think it's essential to listen to Black voices right now.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
American Fiction - Perception of Potential in American Fiction
Sintara Golden:
Potential is what people see when they think what's in front of them isn't good enough.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.