How do we ensure appropriate representation, sensitivity, diversity and inclusion in historical fiction? That both the story and our writing style reflect the sensitivities of contemporary Australian society and its diverse communities? How might we ensure representation that is authentic and appropriate to its historical context?In this workshop, Renée Otmar will explore what it means to write sensitively about the past for the 21st-century reader of historical fiction. She will highlight contemporary debates on artistic freedom, cultural appropriation, representations of culture, ethnicity, neurodiversity and dis/ability, gender identity and sexuality, and the influences of recent social movements. She will look at options for formal and informal review, including when to engage alpha, beta or gamma readers, or a sensitivity editor for assessment of authenticity, representation, diversity and inclusion.

The workshop will include writing and interactive exercises, and participants will be invited to pose questions or examples of problems in their own writing.
Outcomes: At the conclusion of this workshop, participants will have gained:

•        an overview of the wide range of issues and movements associated with representation, diversity, equity and inclusion
•        a basic understanding of topical debates and movements, such as #ownvoices
•        an appreciation for the complexities of “writing diversity”
•        a sense of when and how to engage sensitivity readers and editors.

Dr Renée Otmar has been a professional editor since 1989. She has worked in-house in academic, education and trade , as a senior editor and managing editor. 

Renée has enjoyed parallel careers in public health research and research ethics, and in coaching and training. She works as a consultant editor, manuscript assessor, life writer, coach, teacher and research ethics.

If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be and why?

It's difficult to choose just one! I've just today arrived in Athens, and so the Ancient Greeks are foremost. I would have dinner with Helen of Troy: She is often depicted as both a victim and a symbol of moral failure, representing the dangers of placing lust above reason, and is bound to have many juicy stories to tell!