“From the Personal to the Political: The Ethics of Editing”

A Webinar for Writers & Editors

Saturday, February 11, 2023 | 1:00–3:00 p.m. Pacific

A recording will be made available to all registrants for a limited period afterward.

*Note: This webinar has already taken place; registration is no longer open.

Description

Editing is an act of empathy, and editing your own work sometimes requires looking at it from a fresh perspective that can be hard to practice in solitude. Language carries implication—both personal and political, intended and unintended. Often we’re not even aware of the harm that choosing certain words, terms, or tropes can potentially cause. That’s why it’s more important than ever to edit from a lens of social justice, applying greater awareness and purpose to the writing we bring into the world.

As literary citizens, we have a responsibility to deliberately use language with discernment. And beyond that, writing that’s effectively crafted is intentional writing. The point isn’t that writers should be prohibited from writing outside their direct experiences and identities, but to understand how to do so mindfully and empathetically. Similarly, writers shouldn’t feel compelled to only write likeable, ethically motivated characters—but to ethically write authentic, complex characters who avoid stereotypes and are consciously allowed nuance.

This webinar will help writers and editors alike identify and mitigate stereotypes and clichéd language, and consider issues of representation, unconscious bias, appropriation, and cultural inaccuracies. Identifying and addressing these areas also means interrogating our own privilege, biases, and assumptions. This isn’t always a comfortable act, but it’s a worthwhile endeavor that will strengthen and clarify the work and create richer, more vibrant writing capable of exploring a full range of ideas, experiences, identities, and emotions with intention.

Whether you’re a writer who wants to bring a more informed mindfulness to your work or an editor who wants to bring additional depth to the editorial process for other writers’ work—or both!—this course will give you tools and tips to thoughtfully engage with the work before you, and resources to help guide you along the way.

Pricing

The following payment model is inspired by and borrowed from the payment model of Bayo Akomolafe’s class, We Will Dance with Mountains: Into the Cracks.

This webinar offers a sliding scale based on your relative financial standing. In an effort to reflect disparity in economic condition and access to wealth, the following payment system is designed for those with more wealth to help cover the costs of those with less access to wealth and resources. We trust your discernment of your current financial situation and how you fit into the global economic context.

As you decide what amount to pay, please consider your present-day financial situation governed by income, but also the following factors: historical discrimination faced by your peoples; your financial wealth (retirement/savings/investments); your access to income and financial wealth, both current and anticipated (how easily could you earn more income compared to other people in your community, country, and the world; are you expecting an inheritance); people counting on your financial livelihood, including dependents and community members; the socio-economic conditions of your locale (relative to other places in your country and in the world); and your relationship to food and resource scarcity.

$250 Partner
$175 Supporter (Note: This amount reflects the “real” value of this course)
$100 Companion
$50 Friend

Scholarships are also available for anyone needing further financial assistance.

About

Jessie Carver (she/her) is a queer editor and writer who lives in Portland, Oregon, but grew up on a farm in the borderlands of New Mexico. She copyedited Bitch magazine for nearly ten years and has edited many books, including an Oregon Book Award finalist, two Lambda Literary Award finalists, and a book by a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Until recently, she taught copyediting in Portland State University (PSU)’s graduate writing/book publishing program. Jessie was the runner-up for PSU’s 2021 Adjunct Excellence Award for Instruction. Her short stories and poems have appeared in various literary journals and the anthology Love Is the Drug & Other Dark Poems, and she co-authored the 2011 book Rethinking Paper & Ink: The Sustainable Publishing Revolution. You can find her online at www.jessiecarver.com and she occasionally tweets at @Jessie__Paige.