We, the attendees of the 2016 Sewanee Writers' Conference, demand that the conference adjust its policies, that it create a space less hostile to minorities and political dialogue.
Our Demands:
- Hire a diverse faculty. Hiring a consistently white or almost-all-white faculty prevents many people of color from applying, given that their writing about race and ethnicity will be discussed and potentially mishandled by people with no experience as a PoC. The same goes for a heterosexual faculty re: LGBTQIA atendees, able-bodied and neurotypical faculty re: disabled atendees, etc. These are writers whom the writing world so consistently appropriates or erases, these are writers who need the support and platform and networking of a conference more than ever.
- Hold craft talks or roundtables on writing about diversity. The conference's aversion to discussing these crucial issues creates a (perhaps unintentional) statement on these issues: that they don't matter. Craft talks or roundtables could incite and continue dialogues such as How to write about race? or How should able-bodies people discuss a disabled person's work? The political implications of the writing world is as crucial to its development as are the delightful but sanitary discussions on spondees and story arcs.
- Apologize when faculty or staff make mistakes. The conference almost completely refused this year to apologize for its mistakes; one staff member apologized for an incident despite being ordered to stay silent. Mistakes include the limerick which lampooned a "queer balladeer," and its hiring of multiple attendees and faculty whose work either was flippant toward progressiveness or was actively violent (a story in which the women were reduced to breasts, jokes chastising "microaggressions," white poets racist language, etc.). Inherent in this demand is also: try to not make mistakes.
One purpose of this petition is to dismantle the conference's perception that those who feel this way are a vocal minority. We are not; we are a vocal majority. We feel that silence is apathy and apathy is cruelty. Our aims are not something so shallow as political correctness; our aim is empathy, empathy for those against whom words are weapons; our aim is a dialogue in which all conference-goers are willing to discuss words and how to more effectively use them.
Updates
August 7, 2016
I am honestly overwhelmed by the response to this movement. It is truly humbling to see so many people care about this cause as much as I do and the weight of this momentum belongs entirely to all of you.
18 Comments
It is incredibly unfortunate that the request that these issues be openly addressed at the Sewanee Writers' Conference was met with such resistance. Of course, the fact that this conversation has begun is a step, but the defensive stance that was taken by some faculty and staff will only prevent Sewanee from becoming a more inclusive, and therefore a more productively creative environment for the writing community. It isn't that people are simply offended, but rather are genuinely concerned. I hope this petition will be understood through that lens.
The conference's non-response to the concerns of its participants about diversity, inclusion and the safety of all participants is appalling. These concerns cannot be swept under the rug, and meeting them with hostility and derision is not going to make them go away. I have written a letter to the vice chancellor and will continue to pursue remedy to my experience at Sewanee until there is some action. No conference should allow what happened this summer, and then, when faced with the behavior of faculty and staff, refuse to address it at all.
Diverse faculty encourages a diverse applicant pool.
Michael
I'm grateful for your willingness to listen to participants' feedback and excited to see how Sewanee will continue to grow.
I cherished my time in this conference and want it to be a welcoming place for all writers and voices.
Sewanee, as a conference, offers a gorgeous location, delicious food, more than acceptable housing, and a chance to spend quality time with fellow writers. The well-planned organization of the conference and its potential for creating a truly vibrant and diverse experience that meets the needs of all writers is what makes these missteps that much more disappointing; the bones are in place, but the conference must step into the 21st century. The conference risks becoming irrelevant if it doesn't do the work outlined in this petition, and that would be a shame. I think of all the teachable moments that were missed this year: the cemetery walk, cultural appropriation, inclusion and diversity, etc. By opening up a dialogue, the organizers would not only make an effort to right wrongs, but they would make the conference more inclusive in the best way possible. There is a way forward, and I hope the conference will take this opportunity for self-reflection and change.
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We, the attendees of the 2016 Sewanee Writers' Conference, demand that the conference adjust its policies, that it create a space less hostile to minorities and political dialogue.
Our Demands:
- Hire a diverse faculty. Hiring a consistently white or almost-all-white faculty prevents many people of color from applying, given that their writing about race and ethnicity will be discussed and potentially mishandled by people with no experience as a PoC. The same goes for a heterosexual faculty re: LGBTQIA atendees, able-bodied and neurotypical faculty re: disabled atendees, etc. These are writers whom the writing world so consistently appropriates or erases, these are writers who need the support and platform and networking of a conference more than ever.
- Hold craft talks or roundtables on writing about diversity. The conference's aversion to discussing these crucial issues creates a (perhaps unintentional) statement on these issues: that they don't matter. Craft talks or roundtables could incite and continue dialogues such as How to write about race? or How should able-bodies people discuss a disabled person's work? The political implications of the writing world is as crucial to its development as are the delightful but sanitary discussions on spondees and story arcs.
- Apologize when faculty or staff make mistakes. The conference almost completely refused this year to apologize for its mistakes; one staff member apologized for an incident despite being ordered to stay silent. Mistakes include the limerick which lampooned a "queer balladeer," and its hiring of multiple attendees and faculty whose work either was flippant toward progressiveness or was actively violent (a story in which the women were reduced to breasts, jokes chastising "microaggressions," white poets racist language, etc.). Inherent in this demand is also: try to not make mistakes.
One purpose of this petition is to dismantle the conference's perception that those who feel this way are a vocal minority. We are not; we are a vocal majority. We feel that silence is apathy and apathy is cruelty. Our aims are not something so shallow as political correctness; our aim is empathy, empathy for those against whom words are weapons; our aim is a dialogue in which all conference-goers are willing to discuss words and how to more effectively use them.
Updates
August 7, 2016
I am honestly overwhelmed by the response to this movement. It is truly humbling to see so many people care about this cause as much as I do and the weight of this momentum belongs entirely to all of you.
18 Comments
I love this conference, attended nearly a decade ago and this summer as well. It's been one of the richest experiences in my writing life, connecting me to other writers in deep and meaningful ways. I'd love to see the conference make strides to ensure all feel safe and welcome. It was distressing to see that for many writers, that wasn't consistently the case this year.
It is incredibly unfortunate that the request that these issues be openly addressed at the Sewanee Writers' Conference was met with such resistance. Of course, the fact that this conversation has begun is a step, but the defensive stance that was taken by some faculty and staff will only prevent Sewanee from becoming a more inclusive, and therefore a more productively creative environment for the writing community. It isn't that people are simply offended, but rather are genuinely concerned. I hope this petition will be understood through that lens.
The conference's non-response to the concerns of its participants about diversity, inclusion and the safety of all participants is appalling. These concerns cannot be swept under the rug, and meeting them with hostility and derision is not going to make them go away. I have written a letter to the vice chancellor and will continue to pursue remedy to my experience at Sewanee until there is some action. No conference should allow what happened this summer, and then, when faced with the behavior of faculty and staff, refuse to address it at all.
Diverse faculty encourages a diverse applicant pool.
Michael
I'm grateful for your willingness to listen to participants' feedback and excited to see how Sewanee will continue to grow.
I cherished my time in this conference and want it to be a welcoming place for all writers and voices.
Sewanee, as a conference, offers a gorgeous location, delicious food, more than acceptable housing, and a chance to spend quality time with fellow writers. The well-planned organization of the conference and its potential for creating a truly vibrant and diverse experience that meets the needs of all writers is what makes these missteps that much more disappointing; the bones are in place, but the conference must step into the 21st century. The conference risks becoming irrelevant if it doesn't do the work outlined in this petition, and that would be a shame. I think of all the teachable moments that were missed this year: the cemetery walk, cultural appropriation, inclusion and diversity, etc. By opening up a dialogue, the organizers would not only make an effort to right wrongs, but they would make the conference more inclusive in the best way possible. There is a way forward, and I hope the conference will take this opportunity for self-reflection and change.
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I love this conference, attended nearly a decade ago and this summer as well. It's been one of the richest experiences in my writing life, connecting me to other writers in deep and meaningful ways. I'd love to see the conference make strides to ensure all feel safe and welcome. It was distressing to see that for many writers, that wasn't consistently the case this year.