R.F. Kuang Lecture "The Poppy War in Context: Asian American Speculative Fiction" (Oct 28 2020)

[@reecenaidu6020]

This is so true. I've had so many beta readers express shock, basically, when they realise my characters are not Indian and their problems are not about being Indian. One even said they were disappointed when in chapter 1 my mc said his dad was blonde. This reader meant well, they were interested in reading a 'foreign' perspective (out of inclusivity or curiosity, idk), but it is limiting, as Rebecca has said, to continuously class books by the author's race. 'Disappointed' is a strong word, especially coming from a reader. Publishers need to take heed of the expectations they set

[@underflowrecords]

love this writer. one of the best of our generation.

[@bigdavido82]

Amazing! RF Kuang is so candid and provides such profound and thoughtful answers. Truly happy that I picked up her books and am excited to continue to hear her opinions going forward w Asian American issues.

[@rp627]

whoa, this was an incredible gem to stumble upon! :o

[@TK-kf8zc]

What a fascinating and eye-opening talk.

[@fredfrond6148]

Dr Erin you need more interviews and / or any content.

[@billyalarie929]

the other thing, though, is that on the topic of whether or not this is, or should be for white readers: google exists. if you are not willing to google the references made that you are unfamiliar with, this book is DEFINITELY not for you.

[@leahshency6437]

Love the lecture! Brought up things that I’ve never thought about. Another thing I wanna note is, why isn’t there more fandom content 😞

[@paulbradbury5792]

I am reading her book Babel and it very much feels like a Harry Potter novel, which I've never read. It's a wonderful book and makes me sad to think how many authors of many backgrounds are prevented from publishing their works simply because the gatekeepers to them reaching the public, the marketers and senior editors of the major publishers who seem to have a need to label an author a specific way just for their work to have merit. This is a major fallacy of our society in general I think in the US, the over-reliance on the person rather than the work they've produced.

[@billyalarie929]

as a (white) person with a disability, i find i can apply a lot of elements of this lecture to my own personal experience, in the broader sense of being "the other".

[@khyrianstorms]

I can imagine. I'm on the spectrum, and I personally find commonalities with this over-generalisation. The big difference is who the disabler is, for lack of better words. With a disability, it's your own body that's inhibiting and challenging you. With ADHD or any form of autism, it's your mind. But with racial "otherness" (as you put it), it's parts of the world that inhibit and challenge you, if not outright attack and demean you. What binds this all together is that I personally love reading stories that dive into these unique perspectives and human experiences, and this lecture highlights how simply saying someone is disabled, on the spectrum or "of this race" makes it a statistic. Btw, ordered my copy of The Poppy War after this lecture. Deeply fascinated. Such a brilliant and insightful talk.

[@uninvited-gd6gr]

Are there spoilers in this lol?? I just read the poppy wars, the first book, and loved it! would this be a good thing to watch before reading the next two or are there spoilers for those?

[@paulbradbury5792]

It is odd to me that Rebecca points out how white writers writing Asian American fiction are criticized for their inaccurate portrayals of the Asian American experience yet on the flip side argues for Asian American writers being able to write fiction with a white protagonist? I wouldn't blame her for being critical of others when she and other Asian American writers are not afforded the same literary freedoms, however doesn't racial parity depend on both sides being respectful of one another?

[@nalad9387]

thanks for posting :)

[@colinsoder]

I don't understand why liberals don't understand or even remember to not judge a book by its cover! do not judge people by the color of their skin. It's such a simple lesson. Why can't liberals do it? There are times when it is appropriate, no, actually necessary, to be color blind.

[@rp627]

i can see why she's writing an anti-academic fictional book now, lolol. xD soooo much silly politics... the terrible kind: political correctness, stereotypes, and top-down government policies ;( geeezzusssss. wtf book world. honestly its just book people that do this. Just compare goodreads to letterboxd. People and communities based on films, games, and new media are just way more chill. Books are just a hella old institution, terrible, like Hollywood. i couldn't watch this. tooo specific. but please remember to just enjoy life! :) and i say that as an American-born Indian living all over Taiwan: 2 indigenous tribes, Tainan / Taiwanese south, Taipei / Mandarin.

[@aaronvaughn5028]

My god, you’re a terrible writer. Wtf was that word salad?