When I've been thinking about Diverse Lit I've sort of been thinking about my own story. I could sit down and give a portrayal of the life I've lead and show the Italian side I inherited from my father, the Irish/German/Scottish side I inherited from my mother, the experiences I've had showing dogs, with friend, in school, etc. That would be an authentic portrayal, right? Because it would stem from my own personal experiences, so it would have to be, right?

I see two flaws in this thinking. First, yes, I could sit down and write a piece of literature focusing on the topics of my life but I personally believe it would not be a quality piece of literature, irregardless of whether or not my portrayal is accurate. So what's more important--the quality of the literature or the portrayal of the characters? You're not always going to have both aspects be quality...

The second flaw I see is what determines whether the portrayal is accurate? Who's to say that someone's experiences aren't accurate just because most people of the genre in question don't experience that? Wouldn't providing criteria to determine whether a portrayal is accurate or not ultimately lead to more stereotyping? So how do we prevent that? And what if a common stereotype of a particular group is the reality for the inspiration of some book? Do we not use that book because though the situation is true to the main character, it's a stereotype for those it does not include?