To bring diversity to writing, Grand Valley State University hosted a writer of East Indian descent from the state of Wyoming as a part of the 2015 Writers Series. Nina McConigley, author of the collection of short stories “Cowboys and East Indians,” visited GVSU students in writing classes, performed a public craft-talk and a public reading on Tuesday.

In her craft-talk at GVSU, McConigley spoke about race and how to write about and represent characters that are not like ourselves, also described as the ‘others.’ She said characters of other races are often written generically and become stereotypes.

“People are so ‘othered’ that we don’t even look at them as people,” McConigley said. “If you’re going to have (‘other’ characters) in the background at least render them properly.”

Writing about people who are not like the author can be intimidating, McConigley said. She said sometimes authors are placed in a difficult position when writing about something that is not close to them because readers and critics wonder if the author has the right to tell that story.

“To be a citizen of the world it’s a good idea to read about all different human experiences,” McConigley said. “That isn’t just the experiences of people who look like you — it’s the experience of people that are different.”

McConigley said she was impressed with the diverse audience that attended her craft-talk and said she tried to give a talk that appealed to all writers with different levels of writing experience.

“Grand Valley’s writing program is so fantastic,” McConigley said. “It almost felt like I was talking to graduate students. I think I felt nervous because (it was) an audience that really (knew) their stuff.”

Although she did not read diverse literature when she was a college student, she said it is important for students to read more diverse literature than the westernized classics that were written by white men.

“My own writing is really concerned with identity and race,” McConigley said. “I hope it gave the audience a different perspective about those things.”

Oindrila Mukherjee, assistant writing professor, acts as the coordinator for GVSU’s Writers Series. She invites writers like McConigley to GVSU’s campus and assists the writers when they arrive.

“I’ve tried really hard to make sure that our students get exposed to a range of diverse voices and perspectives,” Mukherjee said. “(McConigley brought) a really interesting and fresh perspective, and it brings a voice to West Michigan that we don’t always hear.”

Mukherjee said the GVSU’s Writers Series focuses on diversity and that McConigley’s craft-talk is relevant to the current time period.

“We live in a world right now, not just in the United States—everything from Syria to Ferguson—race and the ‘other’ is a very real concern that people in this country and beyond have,” McConigley said. “When we talk about subjects that are hard such as race, especially when we do it in art, I think that’s really important. I hope people understood that from the talk, how to be empathetic with other people.”

McConigley has received multiple awards for her writing, including the 2014 PEN Open Book award and a High Plains Book award. To learn more about Nina McConigley and her writing, visit www.ninamcconigley.com.

For more information about GVSU’s Writers Series and upcoming craft talks, visit www.gvsu.edu/writing/grand-valley-writers-series.