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I am fine with my books being categorized as African-American literature but I hope they are also considered Haitian-American literature and American literature. All of these things are part of who I am and what I write.

Roxane Gay

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Roxane Gay
Age: 50
Born: 1974
Born: October 15
Essayist
Journalist
Novelist
Scrabble Player
Writer
Omaha
Nebraska
Things
Literature
American
Hope
Categorized
Write
Haitian
Part
African
Also
Considered
Book
Fine
Writing
Books

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I am human. I am messy. I'm not trying to be an example. I am not trying to be perfect. I am not trying to say I have all the answers. I am not trying to say I'm right. I am just trying - trying to support what I believe in, trying to do some good in this world, trying to make some noise with my writing while also being myself.
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My tweeting is cool and calm unless I am riled up about something and then I just surrender to the fury of my fingers.
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I am new to superhero comics, though growing up I read Archie comics, religiously. I've been doing a lot of catching up, reading what's out there and it's been wonderful to see what's going on in contemporary comics.
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I live in the middle of nowhere and I'm an insomniac. I just make the time and I read and write really fast so that makes a lot possible for me. I wish I had an explanation for it. I'm grateful for it.
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Diversity in literature is, in part, about representation - who is telling the stories and who stories are told about.
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It's gut instinct that helps me determine how to write a story. I love the surreal because I am faced with the challenge of making the unbelievable believable. That challenge is thrilling.
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Some women being empowered does not prove the patriarchy is dead. It proves that some of us are lucky.
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Feminism is definitely a part of everything I do.
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I love Twitter. It doesn't keep me from writing and I think it's a really convenient scapegoat when the truth is that the real issue is self-control. I am totally fine admitting i have none. I'm not going to blame Twitter for affecting my writing. And also, Twitter doesn't affect my writing.
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My fiction is a very accurate reflection of the world we live in. Certainly, in some stories, that reflection is amplified but America elected a man who enjoys grabbing women by their pussies.
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I love writing fiction because I can totally lose myself and I get to make up the rules of the world that I'm writing.
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Violence is not the answer but neither is peace.
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With my writing, I generally just pretend that no one's reading it. I allow myself that delusion so that I can write the things that I write.
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Readers need to stop assuming characters are white if race isn't explicitly defined.
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We need to stop playing Privilege or Oppression Olympics because we'll never get anywhere until we find more effective ways of talking through difference. We should be able to say, “This is my truth,” and have that truth stand without a hundred clamoring voices shouting, giving the impression that multiple truths cannot coexist.
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Most of the time, writing is a lot of fun, and not a small amount of self-medication.
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Most of my favorite tweets go completely ignored but most of my favorite tweets are probably really lame or inside jokes between me and my [redacted]. See what I did there?
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Twitter is my happy place. I am not there to overthink 140 characters.
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When you can’t find someone to follow, you have to find a way to lead by example.
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Oftentimes, when a woman demands accountability, respect, or consideration, she is crazy or nagging or whatever.
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