A question-behind-the-question is, what’s the racial breakdown of the audiences of all those under-35 artists and writers? Does willingness to cross cultural boundries in our art appreciation vary by medium?
NYT reports on an NEA census: “Among artists under 35, writers are the only group in which 80 percent or more are non-Hispanic white.” Tayari Jones responds, “A question worth thinking about is whether this means times are good or hard for writers of color. On the one hand being so darn rare makes us attractive, or at least it does, theoretically. But on the other hand, the scarcity suggests steep challenges.”