Book Nook: Editing with an Eye Towards Equity

 Megan Taylor Morrison had just edited a book and was feeling good. A graduate of a prestigious journalism school, with many clips under her belt and a few awards to boot, she had immense pride and confidence in her writing and editing skills as applied to the careful storytelling within her anthology of stories.

Yet after the death of George Floyd this summer she turned a new eye to her work-- the anthology that would eventually become Dance Adventures: True Stories about Dancing Abroad-- and discovered she had quite a lot of growing to do as an editor with an eye towards equity in her work. 

  

She learned that for her to edit equitably, she needed to understand that:

• Fact checking is different than checking privilege
• Hire a perspective consultant to find blind spots
• Use positionality statements
• Acknowledge elders
• Avoid microaggressions, particularly ‘othering’
• Seek more BIPOC contributors

 

By using her own experience, she illustrates each point and how it made not only her writing and editing better, but transformed her book into something much more meaningful. 

I had a chance to interview her to learn more.

Why is it so difficult for a writer or editor to spot microaggressions in his or her own work?

We have blindspots not just as writers, but as people. Whether or not we're aware of it, we are constantly filtering what happens around us through a mesh of our own biases. Because of this, we might believe the words we use or the actions we take are harmless when they actually have a profound impact on others. Our blindspots aren't inherently bad. They are a natural part of our humanity. Still, if we want our work to be accessible and nourishing for a wide audience, we must be humble enough to educate ourselves and seek feedback from a diverse team of editors and proofreaders who have a different background than our own.

What are positionality statements and why are they important?

In the case of Dance Adventures, having a positionality statement meant that authors shared about key experiences that shaped their worldview, decisions or actions. This way, readers better understood why the author chose to write about a given subject, the angle they are telling their story from, and how their past is informing their current experience. A positionality statement brings more richness and context to a story, and shows that you're not assuming your readers share your background. 

How can people distinguish between fact checking and checking their white privilege? Why are both important?

Fact checking is the process of making sure that the names, dates, and details in your writing are all accurate. You don't want to share false information about the geography of Guinea or the origins of salsa in Cuba, for instance. Checking your white privilege -- or whatever other privilege you might have -- means two things in travel writing. The first is that you get help to make sure that your writing is respectful of the people and culture you portray. One of my favorite ways to do this is to work with mentors or proofreaders from the country I've visited. If they like I'm describing their home in a fair and respectful way, I know I'm on the right track. The second is understanding, and acknowledging when appropriate, that the experience you have as a white traveler is unique. For instance, I can visit Argentina and only get the occasional cat call from men on the street. As I read through Khalila Fordham's story in Dance Adventures, I saw how this isn't the same for everyone. Due to the history of slavery in Argentina and its subsequent impact on how men there see Black women, she was often sexually harassed and felt unsafe walking alone. Understanding this makes me think twice about how I represent a location. Can I truly say that it's safe to wander in a certain city alone? Or is it only safe if you're white? That's a humbling realization.

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Megan Taylor Morrison is an avid dance adventurer and certified life and business coach. She has studied local dance forms in 16 countries on six continents, as well as designed and co-led retreats to Argentina, Brazil, the Dominican Republic and India. In partnership with Melaina Spitzer, Meg debuted the talk "Dance Travel: The Next Era of Dance Education," at the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) Conference in 2018.