The Desert Nights, Rising Stars
Writers Conference

Is there such a thing as a genderless narrator? Why is it so instinctive to place and categorize each other by sex (female/ male) and gender roles (masculine or feminine attributes)? How do we read fiction when these socially constructed markers are missing? And why should we? To be inclusive? To allow gender-nonconforming readers to be represented in literature? To focus on the common experiences without the social constraints of gender roles? Using examples from Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson, this session will look at the ways Winterson crafted an unnamed, ungendered narrator in her novella. Participants will receive specific examples, craft techniques, personal anecdotes. The group will look at quotes from Winterson's book as well as others, and talk about biases, filters, assumptions and discuss the ways we can write characters for all to connect and empathize with.