Creative Writing and the Experiences of Others : Strategies for Outsiders

In times that are rife with complex manifestations of identity politics, writing classrooms across the world are hosting heated debates about what it means for authors to write about experiences outside our own. This book focuses on writing as the act of witnessing when the writers themselves were not present to witness in person. It seeks to answer the questions that come along with these experiences, like what might it mean to write in order to watch," "to try and understand," "to never look away," and "to never forget" when the writer is an outsider to an experience-- what might it mean to write about others in ways that do not essentialize or sensationalize, and in ways that are as humble, ethical, and responsible as possible? What might it mean to bear witness through the written word while engaged in a constant (re)negotiation with one's own positioning i.e., to cultivate a condition of critical empathy that doesn't also have the consequence of creative paralysis?"--

Author: Nandita Dinesh

Publisher: Routledge

Publication Date: May 28, 2024

Number of Pages: NA pages

Language: English

Binding: Hardcover

ISBN-10: 103268870X

ISBN-13: 9781032688701