Previously, this section was focused on #OwnVoices books. The hashtag, created by author Corinne Duyvis in September 2015, was intended to make book recommendations on Twitter and for readers to recommend books by authors who openly shared the diverse identity of their main characters. Though it was never intended to be used on a larger scale, it was quickly adopted by many people, including becoming a “catch all” marketing term by the publishing industry. Using #OwnVoices can place diverse creators in uncomfortable and potentially unsafe situations by forcing authors to "out" themselves or reveal private medical information in order to confirm they can rightfully use the hashtag. Although coming from a specific community gives authors more personal insight to those communities, it does not mean that they are the only authors who can write authentically about those communities.

Instead, these sections will be devoted to offering quality diverse literature. Each section will have #OwnVoices authors, but not every book will be a confirmed #OwnVoices book, especially in sections where it would be less obvious and would require more personal and private information to be given by authors.

Click on the picture to check out the available lists within this section.