Today’s society claims to be “woke” when it comes to the need for diversity, except we all know that isn’t true. The prejudice and bigotry presented on the news and in other media continues to reflect similar issues seen within the publishing industry.
While movies and television have made visual strides to present more diverse casts, it’s not always easy to determine who an author is based on the name alone. Most of the time, this isn’t an issue until a misconception of a group of people is noticed and pointed out by readers of that diverse group mentioned in the book. Yes, representation is essential, but it’s pointless when it’s inaccurate.
That’s not to say writers shouldn’t include various diverse characters within their stories—remember, speculative fiction writers write about other worlds, alien species, different/new languages, mystical creatures, etc.—but, they should be aware of any cultural differences and do their research instead of making assumptions about a group’s experience based on their race, sex, gender, religion, ethnicity, sexuality, handicap, mental health, intellect, age, etc. Recently, authors have made strides to include correct information and experiences surrounding diversity and multiculturalism but, throughout the past (and the present), the racism, the homophobia, and other biases were not subtle at all.
This doesn’t mean we should stop reading speculative fiction by Caucasian, heterosexual males and females (some of my favorite books are written by them). Instead, when we read a story and find ourselves intrigued by the setting, the characters, and/or the worldbuilding, we should pay attention to the author’s identity and background. This way readers will have a better understanding of the representation of the author throughout the story. In addition, readers will be able to see more of themselves within these stories. Or, if you just wish to sate your curiosity, then please check out these lists of recommendations of diverse authors.
Editor’s Note: This list was originally compiled by L. A. Young, the author of the article. It was added to by myself with a lot of help from people on Twitter. The list is not complete, but it is accurate to the best of my knowledge. If someone is in the wrong category or should be in multiple categories, or if someone is missing from the list, please let us know in the comments and I will fix it. Thank you! – Jennie Ivins
Black Authors
- Tomi Adeyemi
- Eugen Bacon
- Antoine Bandele
- Steven Barnes
- Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
- Reni K. Amayo
- Rena Barron
- K. Tempest Bradford
- Maurice Broaddus
- Roseanne A. Brown
- Octavia E. Butler
- Kacen Callender
- P. Djèlí Clark
- Z. Z. Claybourne
- Charlotte Nicole Davis
- Samuel R. Delany
- Nicky Drayden
- Tananarive Due
- Akwaeke Emezi
- Seressia Glass
- Jewelle Gomez
- Agnes Gomillion
- Andrea Hairston
- Nalo Hopkinson
- Justina Ireland
- Marlon James
- N. K. Jemisin
- Tenea D. Johnson
- Alaya Dawn Johnson
- Amanda Joy
- Aleron Kong
- Natasha D. Lane
- Victor LaValle
- Karen Lord
- Kyoko M
- L. L. McKinney
- Brittney Morris
- Walter Mosley
- Gloria Naylor
- Temi Oh
- Ben Okri
- Suyi Davies Okungbowa
- Tochi Onyebuchi
- L. Penelope
- C. L. Polk
- Ishmael Reed
- Sofia Samatar
- Charles R. Saunders
- Nisi Shawl
- Rivers Solomon
- Winnifred Tataw
- Sheree R. Thomas
- Tade Thompson
- Cadwell Turnbull
- Amos Tutuola
- LaShawn M. Wanak
- Kai Ashante Wilson
- Evan Winter
- Colson Whitehead
- Micah Yongo
East Asian Authors
- Renée Ahdieh
- Stanley Qiufan Chen
- Ted Chiang
- Yangsze Choo
- John Chu
- Wesley Chu
- Rin Chupeco
- Joan He
- Kazuo Ishiguro
- Julie Kagawa
- JC Kang
- Aleron Kong
- R. F. Kuang
- Fonda Lee
- Yoon Ha Lee
- Cixin Liu
- Ken Liu
- Marjorie Liu
- Elizabeth Lim
- Malinda Lo
- Marie Lu
- Haruki Murakami
- Jeannette Ng
- Natasha Ngan
- Ellen Oh
- Cindy Pon
- Andrea G. Stewart
- M. L. Wang
- Alyssa Wong
- Jin Yong
- Amélie Wen Zhao
Southeast Asian Authors
- Dean Francis Alfar
- Aliette de Bodard
- Zen Cho
- Rin Chupeco
- Vida Cruz
- Victor Fernando R. Ocampo
- Nicasio Andres Reed
- Rochita Loenen-Ruiz
- K. S. Villoso
- Nghi Vo
- Alyssa Wong
- J. Y. Yang
- Isabel Yap
Indian, Muslim & Middle Eastern Authors
- Saladin Ahmed
- Nafiza Azad
- S. A. Chakraborty
- Roshani Chokshi
- Somaiya Daud
- Hafsah Faizal
- Ausma Zehanat Khan
- Salman Rushdie
- Tasha Suri
- Jeremy Szal
- Sabaa Tahir
- Swati Teerdhala
- Amish Tripathi
- Krishna Udayasankar
- Sukanya Venkatraghavan
- G. Willow Wilson
Latinx Authors
- Isabel Allende
- Bernie Anés Paz
- David Bowles
- Zoraida Córdova
- Isabel Ibañez
- José Pablo Iriarte
- Michelle Ruiz Keil
- Jorge Luis Borges
- Carmen Maria Machado
- Gabriel García Márquez
- Anna-Marie McLemore
- Yamile Mendez
- Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- Daniel José Older
- Malka Older
- Claribel Ortega
- Mark Oshiro
- Julia Rios
- K. Arsenault Rivera
- Alex Segura
- Valerie Valdes
- Sabrina Vourvoulias
Native, Aboriginal, and Indigenous Peoples Authors
Authors with Disabilities
- Mishell Baker
- RJ Barker
- Mike Brooks
- Sarah Chorn
- T. Frohock
- Nicola Griffith
- Nalo Hopkinson
- Scott Kaelen
- Raven Oak
- Nnedi Okorafor
- Elsa Sjunneson
- Fran Wilde
- John Wiswell
LGBTQIA+ Authors
- Charlie Jane Anders
- Claudie Arseneault
- Poppy Z. Brite
- Mike Brooks
- Nino Cipri
- Samuel R. Delany
- K. A. Doore
- Emily A. Duncan
- Akwaeke Emezi
- Sarah Gailey
- Jewelle Gomez
- Nicola Griffith
- A. J. Hackwith
- Andrea Hairston
- Nalo Hopkinson
- Kameron Hurley
- Michelle Ruiz Keil
- Caitlín R. Kiernan
- T. J. Klune
- A. K. Larkwood
- Malinda Lo
- Alex London
- Devin Madson
- Carmen Maria Machado
- Arkady Martine
- Seanan McGuire
- Foz Meadows
- Tamsyn Muir
- Raven Oak
- Emma Osborne
- Mark Oshiro
- Nicasio Andres Reed
- Julia Rios
- K. Arsenault Rivera
- Joanna Russ
- Victoria (V. E.) Schwab
- Melissa Scott
- Vivian Shaw
- Nisi Shawl
- C. M. Spivey
- Noelle Stevenson
- K. M. Szpara
- Emily Tesh
- John Wiswell
- J. Y. Yang
Title image by ATC Comm Photo.
Geoff Matthews
Julia Kitvaria Sarene