Writers, musicians, performers, translators, and other creatives from Texas and around the world will gather in Dallas this July. With readings, installations, community dialogue, and live music, the Deep Vellum Music & Literature Festival will showcase global voices in the heart of Dallas.

Authors Alex Temblador and Latoya Watkins will be on the Crafting Humanity panel at Deep Vellum at 1:00 pm. The conversation will be moderated by author, Dr. Sanderia Faye.

How does the writing process take into account the identities of its characters, in their dialogue, in their story arcs, at the line level of descriptors? Who should tell whose stories, and how can you build a world on the page that reflects the diversity of society and the complexities of the individual? These are big questions, and how a writer confronts them is woven throughout the mechanics of their craft, including plot, characterization, and point-of-view. This panel will feature Alex Temblador, whose book Writing an Identity Not Your Own (St. Martin’s Essentials) provides a practical guide to help authors authentically write and edit a character whose identity is different than their own; and LaToya Watkins, whose forthcoming novel The Book of Chuck (Tiny Reparations), set across Texas and spanning four generations, is a gimlet-eyed investigation into birthright and belonging through the story of one family in which certain members have clairvoyant powers. Join us for a conversation on how writers can develop characters thoughtfulling and respectfully.