Should authors write other races and cultures in their books?

People have become sensitized to the point of fear of asking--but WE want you to ask us about race and culture!

Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer, queen of dictation from Episode 66, is back on the show to celebrate Native American Heritage Month.

From Choctaw code talkers to Chinese cheerleaders, Sarah and I share candid stories about my childhood in NY and her mother’s experience of Forth Worth in the 70’s. We laugh about growing up as Other in different parts of the country (spoiler: I could have been a CHEERLEADER if I’d been born on a different coast), get emotional about honoring Sarah’s mother in a blanket ceremony, and talk frankly about when it's better to just leave a culture out of your book versus doing the hard work to get it right.

Tune in to watch:

• Sarah introduce herself in Choctaw and me butcher my people’s language

• The terminology debate: Native American vs. American Indian vs. First American

• Are sensitivity readers helpful?

• Seeing 7 original Choctaw treaties in the National Archives vault

• And answer the question: is it okay to write other ethnicities in our books?

These are the big questions Sarah breaks down into bite-size, easily digestible pieces in her upcoming free Master Class: How to Earn Readers’ Trust Through Accurately Portraying Native American Characters Without the Fear of Getting It Wrong

November 18, 2025 at 12 p.m. CST.

SIGN UP HERE

Timestamps:

00:00 You Mean I Could Have Been a Cheerleader?!

00:13 Choctaw Intro

01:04 Native American? First Nations? Which should we say?

03:49 Chinese? Taiwanese? What is Sophia now?

04:52 The Problem with Sensitivity Readers

06:58 If Only We Were the Borg

08:35 2 Cherokees, 3 Opinions

09:48 LA v NY Asians

10:25 Race in Forth Worth in the 70's

11:16 Momma Said Help You Out...with a Course

12:33 The Blanket Ceremony: Honoring Mom for the Choctaw Code Talkers Book

14:01 Shared History: 7 Original Treaties and the American Constitution

16:20 Bonus Content: Writing American Indians Course

17:14 Should authors write other races/cultures?

19:59 That Monolithic Native American Character

SIGN UP for Sarah’s FREE MASTERCLASS

https://sophiachang--fictioncourses.thrivecart.com/earn-readers-trust/?ref=podcast

It’s free to sign up, and if you purchase the digital course afterwards, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer is a Choctaw author of 19 books, teacher, and the creator of Fiction Writing: American Indians digital course. She's been featured on Joanna Penn's The Creative Penn Podcast, Jane Friedman's blog, and Writer's Digest. Find her at: www.fictioncourses.com

Sophia Chang is a Reese’s Book Club LitUp fellow, disabled dancer, and extroverted writer. She hosts The Sophia Chang Show podcast, teaches Character First writing with Daniel David Wallace, and believes deadlifts can change your life. She will make out with your dog. Learn more at: www.sophiachang.com

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