More Than Tragic: Happy Endings, Adventure and Fantasy for All

This passage from Zora Neale Hurston's essay, "How It Feels to Be Colored Me" inspired the More Than Tragic: Happy Endings, Adventure and Fantasy for All discussion topic. 

"But I am not tragically colored. There is no great sorrow dammed up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes." 

Where the words "gendered" or "sexually oriented" or "religiously faithful" or "aged" or "made" could take the place of the word "colored", especially when authors who are not members of marginalized populations create characters and write points of view for members of marginalized populations, under the un/conscious assumptions that being Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, Latinx, 40+ (womxn), LGBTQUIA+ or any other trait that attracts discrimination in society as an automatically tragic circumstance.   

The tragedy is sourced from living in a world that refuses to recognize, honor, and respect the equal intrinsic value of every human being. 

How do these assumptions about tragic traits of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age etc. impact mainstream fiction?  

This panel will be moderated by author Cardyn Brooks. We are so honored to have authors Gay G. Gunn, Pamela Beverly, Alexi Venice, and Kamari Talley on our virtual panel this year. Please follow them on social media, and visit their websites. You can find most information in our shop HERE.

For more information about Zora Neale Hurston, visit the website here:
https://www.zoranealehurston.com/