I wrote down the title to today's post while reading Remembered Rapture by bell hooks. Specifically an essay entitled "A Body of Work: Women Labor with Words." hooks makes the case that there are not nearly enough black women writers being published today, especially those writing outside of accepted narrative norms. And that those who do get published are often met with extremely harsh criticism, especially from other women. She says, "We write to leave legacies for the future." She addresses the fact that white women do fair better because they have buying power, but even so concludes that all women need to be writing more, to fill the void left by a history of exclusion, belittlement, and oppression. And women cannot just do this by retelling their story through a male perspective, they must find new ways to use their words to transgress traditional boundaries and stand as a serious challenge to sexist stereotypes. I had a thought similar to this about the art world that I imagine would also apply to publishing. As it stands there is a huge discrepancy in the amount of rich white men in the canon, being shown in museums, and being published to that of others of different race, class, and gender. This work delves deeply into their beings, showing their human side, thoughts, and feelings. Museums have addressed this fact, but we have not come far enough. The problem with having one gender, one race, and one class represented in a larger proportion in the arts is that this perpetuates stereotypes, prejudices, and the ability of people to write off others as less than human based on race, class or gender. Art and writing offers us the opportunity to see the inner workings of others, to connect to others, to communicate. When one group is presented in this way much more often than others some may jump to the conclusion that other groups of people do not have the same potential and write them off, thus forgoing the possibility of connection. This allows for the continuation of divisions in society based on difference, allows for unfair treatment based on who one is, and prevents us from reaching a deeper understanding of who we are as human beings. I finished hooks' essay excited to be writing. We all must tell our own stories, leave our legacies, and encourage others to do the same. It is our responsibility to tell, to seek out others to read, and to provide space for others to create.