by Susan Jaffer from the August 5, 2019 issue
Tagline: When Pete stops to deliver chairs to a poetry reading, he hopes that no one recognizes how out of place--and unpoetic--he is. But when Marci appears, it seems Pete has finally met the muse he's been longing for.
Observations: I'm excited to see a character of color in this Woman's World story. I think this is a welcome change. However, there is some debate on whether or not comparing skin color food/drink is mildly offensive to people of color.
On Writing with Color, a website dedicated to "writing and resources centered on racial and ethnic diversity," there is a well-written article on describing skin tone. Part 1 of the article centers on why it might not be a good idea to compare skin to chocolate or coffee and the like. Whether you agree or disagree with the reasons, you should look at Part 2, which gives you a really excellent resource on how you can richly describe a character's skin tone.
As open minded as we all think we are, it's always possible to learn something new.
Photo by Michael Chen via Flickr Creative Commons License
I rate this story a ten. It was good to see a woman of color, and that guy's silly, playful poem at the end was priceless.
ReplyDeleteI must not have read it very carefully. I didn't notice the reference to color. It was an enjoyable story.
ReplyDeleteThere's a lovely description of her in the third paragraph.
ReplyDeleteI really loved this story! I thought it was sweet and cute and witty. I liked the fact that at least one of the characters seemed to be a person of color, and I'm sure the author's intention was not to be offensive. It is something to think about going forward. I just thought the way the characters interacted seemed genuine, and they did not fall into "lust" mode right after meeting. The setting was something different, too. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI loved this story. I did notice the character was a person of color. Loved the premise.
ReplyDeleteTerrific story. If I was on Amazon, I'd have to say..."I look forward to more from this author!!!" <3 <3
ReplyDeleteAnother “two thumbs up” from me. Loved this story and the diversity was a nice bonus!
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ReplyDeleteWon't it be nice when "diversity" is no longer an exception but the norm? When a 5-minute romance is what it was meant to be--entertainment without (real or contrived) political drama?
Personally, I don't find comparisons to food to be offensive, but I don't mind if people call me Oriental either. I just wanted to point out that there are people who object to it. :)
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