Races, Religions, and Cultures: How to Ethically Borrow Inspiration from Existing Patterns of Human Existence – March 19, 2022 at 2:30 EST
The vast diversity of richly-populated worlds is a common and much-loved aspect of Science Fiction. Since we haven’t met any aliens (yet…!), the diversity within a writer’s mind and work is a direct product of what we know of history and can learn or extrapolate from personal experience.
This panel will discuss how to ethically borrow inspiration from existing cultures without perpetuating harmful stereotypes, and distinguishing the difference between cultural appropriation and appreciation (and how you can avoid the former!) when writing Science Fiction.
This panel is part of Storycrafting Sessions: Science Fiction, a 100% FREE virtual conference happening on March 19th!
Sign up for this panel or look at the full event schedule!
The Moderator
Jaecyn Boné AKA Charli Boné
Jaecyn Boné AKA Charli Boné (he/they) is a disabled, queer, Asian-American author and artist. They while away their days fantasizing about faeries, pirates, and eating the rich. He lives in Billings, Montana, USA with his spouse, his two kids, his sister, and possibly a ghost or two.
Find them online here.
The Guests
Kaki Olsen
Kaki Olsen never met a fairy tale she couldn’t reframe or a world she couldn’t make a little more complex. Since her debut novel, Swan and Shadow, was published in 2016, she has written things ranging from the modern Jewish story of the Nutcracker to how the world coped with the first astronauts to be lost in space. She works an office job by day, reviews the arts by night, and travels as much as time and public safety allows.
Moss Whelan
Moss Whelan is the author of Gray Hawk Of Terrapin, a featured guest at VCON, and the host of the Story In Mind podcast and can usually be found haunting Twitter: @story_magician.
Elisa Bonnin
Elisa A. Bonnin was born and raised in the Philippines, after which she moved to the United States to study chemistry and later oceanography. After completing her doctorate, she moved to Germany to work as a postdoctoral scientist. A lifelong learner, Elisa is always convinced that she should “maybe take a class in something” and as a result, has amassed an eclectic collection of hobbies.
But writing will always be her true love. Publishing a book has been her dream since she was eight years old, and she is thrilled to finally be able to share her stories. She is the author of Dauntless and Stolen City.
Priya Sridhar
A 2016 MBA graduate and published author, Priya Sridhar has been writing fantasy and science fiction for fifteen years, and counting. Capstone published the Powered series, and Alban Lake published her works Carousel and Neo-Mecha Mayhem. Priya lives in Miami, Florida with her family. Find her on Twitter @SFF_Sridhar.
Find the full schedule for all our event panels here! Races, Religions, and Cultures: How to Ethically Borrow Inspiration from Existing Patterns of Human Existence is a part of the Storycrafting Sessions: Science Fiction virtual conference.
This event is hosted by the Weeknight Writers group and sponsored by Renaissance Press.