A conversation about Roxane Gay
Last night, several of our staff members attended a sold-out Wheeler Centre event with author Roxane Gay. They discuss the event, the author and her work below.
Nina: So I’m a big fan of Roxane – I’ve read Bad Feminist, I read her blog and follow her on Twitter, and I own her novel An Untamed State (but I haven’t read it yet). I love her voice, and I wanted to hear it in person. That’s why I went to last night’s event. Why did you guys go?
Emily: I made the sudden decision to go after reading this sentence (from the Wheeler Centre website): “Roxane Gay’s essay ‘Bad Feminist’ was described by the Guardian as ‘the most persuasive feminist recruitment drive in recent memory’: she argues for embracing the values of feminism, while admitting her own contradictions and imperfections as a feminist.” I haven’t read Bad Feminist, or anything else by Roxane Gay. I booked one, lonely ticket, but I had the feeling I might bump into some friendly faces on the night.
Stella: I guess I sit somewhere in between you both – I’m a fan of Roxane online, and really enjoyed Bad Feminist (although I haven’t read all of it yet).
Nina: What did you think of the event?
Stella: I’m really struck by Roxane’s ability to weave intimate and personal material with broader cultural and political issues. That was so apparent at last night’s event – not only was it thrilling to hear Roxane in conversation with Maxine Beneba Clarke, but it felt truly special to with that particular audience. Looking around the room, packed out with over 700 people from 16 to 66 years old, it was instantly clear that everyone was delighted to be there.
Nina: I agree, there was such a wonderful atmosphere, which I think Roxane facilitated by being so relaxed, open, chatty and funny.
Emily: I loved Roxane’s point– which brought the house down – about white authors being reluctant to write black characters because black people are just so “unknowable”, I think was the word she used, followed by “meanwhile: Hobbits”. Her basic message was come on, people, “write from a place of empathy”. I think a lot of writers, myself included, are scared of getting it wrong. But not doing it is also getting it wrong.
Stella: I was really interested to hear Roxane talk about writing fiction, because I only really associate her with her non-fiction essays. She elaborated on the idea of being a method-writer, saying that she immerses herself in the world of her characters during the writing process, no matter how uncomfortable that might be. Her debut novel, An Untamed State, sounds like a gruelling read that explores sexual politics and violence in a Haitian context. But in writing the unendurable, Gay spoke about wanting her readers to have to look away, not to just read through it.
Sexual violence in popular culture is too often relied upon to propel a narrative, she explains: “Women and women’s bodies are used as devices to help men’s narratives become more fully realised. And I think that’s nonsense”. Gay’s intention when writing An Untamed State was for readers to acknowledge that sexual violence should not just be read through, but something that makes readers stop in their tracks and consider the severity of the issue.
Nina: The audience question time at events tends to be moment when I cringe, but this event had some of the most interesting, thoughtful audience questions I’ve seen.
Stella: I agree – finally an event that proved that audience questions can be utter magic! Such a delight – I really got the sense that I was a part of a community committed to inclusive feminism (with a shared sense of humour). The teenage girl who asked Roxane how she could make her high school feminism club more proactively accepting led to an epic cheer from the audience (and, I think it would be safe to say, restored a lot of people’s faith in future generations’ capacity for challenging patriarchy!). My favourite question was from a high school teacher, who asked how she might best educate her year 8 class on feminism in an accessible, engaging way. Roxane’s response echoed the same importance for empathy – “You can’t make teenage boys feel bad for existing, but they have to understand what it feels like to not be in a white, male body”.
I was too star-struck to ask a questions, but I would have loved to hear more of her thoughts on lowbrow pop-culture, or more about how she views herself as an introvert. When discussing her love for social media, she mentioned that she identifies as shy but enjoys connecting with others online from the privacy of her own space. The idea of Roxane feeling shy was interesting to me, as on stage she seemed so comfortable and sure of herself (and effortlessly hilarious)!
Emily: So true. I left on a high. Roxane impressed me but so too did Maxine Beneba Clarke, who was a well-read and very relaxed host, which set the tone for the evening. I was awed by some of the questions (particular the ones you mentioned, Stella). And I went home with two simple resolutions: 1. Read Bad Feminist asap, 2. Tell my partner, who wouldn’t attend an event like that, nor read a book like that, that he can form his own opinion of Roxane when she appears on Q&A with Germaine Greer.
Nina: I look forward to hearing your thoughts on Bad Feminist. Some of my favourites pieces from the book include: her Hunger Games essay (brutal, brilliant), her essay on the Sweet Valley High books (“I waited for new Sweet Valley books the way other kids waited for new comics or movie releases”), her essay on Django Unchained (“I can’t debate the artistic merits of Django Unchained because the palms of my hands are burning with the desire to slap Tarantino in the face until my arms grow tired”), and her piece on her first year as a professor (“many of my students have never had a black teacher before. I can’t help them with that.”)
Stella: I agree with you Em – Maxine was incredibly well-prepared, and added a really interesting perspective to the discussion. I’m so keen to finish the essays in Bad Feminist that I haven’t got around to reading yet – that piece about Roxane’s first year as a professor is definitely a favourite so far! I also really appreciated her (somewhat controversial) thoughts on Lena Dunham’s Girls and Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In – Gay aptly addresses our hunger for female role models to represent all women all of the time (“It is unreasonable to expect Lena Dunham to somehow solve the race and representation problem on television while crafting her twenty-something witticism”).
