Opinions, words, creation, at The Letters Festival with Roxane Gay

Roxane Gay is a widely known name for her own writing as well as her co-editorship for The Rumpus and PANK. Her first collection, Ayiti, was released in 2011 by Artistically Declined Press. Her writing is notable and her presence can’t be denied, and luckily for Atlanta, Gay is taking part and sharing her views at The Letters Festival (Nov. 14 – 16). The festival focuses on all things indie in the literary realm, something that Gay knows quite a lot about.

Below, she shares her views on diversity in the world of publishing, the voicing of opinions, and how writers and creators will find a way.

Q. At The Letters Festival you will be doing an author talk, a panel discussion and a reading. But I know a lot of people are wishing you were doing an essay workshop. What are your three personal rules or tips for writing a successful essay?

A. An essay needs to look outward as much as it looks inward; the writer should remember the reader. In a good essay, a writer should be as honest about themselves and their flaws as they are about the flaws of others. A good essay should take a stand.

Q. For anyone that follows you on social media and reads your writing, you are not one to shy away from an opinion or possibly taboo topic. Do you think that writers are becoming more ballsy when it comes to social critique in their writing with the onset of indie presses, especially female writers who have been pigeonholed and doubted for so long in this realm?

A. It’s only recently that I’ve realized, or perhaps embraced how opinionated I am and it’s also recently (the past few years) where I’ve felt comfortable enough sharing those opinions. I’m not sure if writers are becoming more ballsy about social critique as much as a wider range of writers now have access to ways of having their opinions heard. People who have been traditionally marginalized benefit as much as anyone from this access but barriers still exist and need to be torn down.

Q. During a panel discussion at the festival you will be speaking about diversity in indie literature. It is well known that the commercial regime of publishing was extremely white and almost found diversity as a novelty. How do you think indie presses and authors have changed the prejudices held in publishing and made it a much more open world?

A. Indie presses are probably even less diverse than the major presses for lots of reasons, some of which can be helped and some of which cannot. As such, I’m not sure I can say that indie presses and writers have changed the prejudices found in big publishing. That said, people in the indie press world are more open to change and doing the work of creating an environment where diversity is welcome.

Q. There has been a huge growth over the past few years of literary journals, websites, and indie presses popping up. What do you think spurned this excitement for leaving the formerly Big Six behind and putting the focus back on the writing?

A. I wouldn’t say that the Big Six aren’t focused on writing. They absolutely are but they are so massive they also have more of a financial imperative and many of their decisions reflect that. Frankly, indie presses and magazines have many of the same concerns. It’s a matter of scale. Whether you’re printing 10,000 books or 100, the printer still needs to be paid. What’s exciting at the indie level is that we get to take on projects we absolutely love. We find ways to pay the printer, so to speak, and give away a lot of our time and creative energy because we believe in supporting great writing that much.

Q. How do you think indie presses and authors have changed the literary world?

A. I think indie writers and presses are the constant reminder that where there’s a will to create, there will always be a way.