Hello, World!



Greetings from the International David Foster Wallace Society’s Diversity Team! We’re excited to work with the Society on a variety of initiatives to diversify engagement with and responses to David Foster Wallace’s creative writing, academic work, and the field of attention that has arisen in his wake.

What does an emphasis on diversity and inclusion look like within DFW studies? What problems does DFW’s work present with regard to questions of bias, stereotype, representation, and appropriation? Does DFW’s work tend to appeal primarily to a homogenous group of likeminded readers and, if not, how can we ensure underrepresented voices are heard?

These are questions we’ll seek to engage with as we strive to reach a wide range of audiences, to foster critical and artistic work from diverse contributors, and to open fresh lines of inquiry into especially problematic areas of DFW’s work. We also hope to promote the work of David Foster Wallace, the Society, and writers, artists, scholars, and others who want to participate in these conversations. As such, we will work to provide a platform for widescale engagement, online and off-.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll introduce ourselves through a series of blog posts. In the very near future, this space will open up to host conversations around DFW and diversity. If you are interested in contributing a post, please send a pitch, draft, or completed piece to diversity@dfwsociety.org.

We look forward to hearing from you!

The International David Foster Wallace Society

Diversity Committee

Diego Baez (Coordinator)

Andrea Laurencell Sheridan (Coordinator)

Danielle Ely

Ashlie Kontos

Ryan William Lackey

Cynthia Zhang