Writing as someone in the diaspora is complex, as is writing as someone *not* in the diaspora. We all have vastly different experiences. But...there is a discussion to be had about privilege, I think.

A lot of us who are in the West have privilege that people in our homeland don't. Part of that is the ability to have our voices heard, to have our narratives published. Yes, publishing privileges us and our voices and our point of view, even our POV of our homelands.

Whether we feel like our voice is enough, or we feel like we belong, while we navigate our feelings about being in the diaspora...we *still* have that privilege. And all of that is valid, none of it should be negated.

Does this privilege mean we can't write about our homeland or our culture? Absolutely not. But it means that it's up to us to do due diligence to ensure that people in our home countries are being represented accurately and respectfully.

And we need to ensure we're not writing about the place that we *left behind* because that place does not exist anymore. This is what I see diaspora writers doing a lot of the time, and this is feeding into harmful and dangerous stereotypes.

I left Bangladesh when I was just 10 years old but have had the immense privilege of going back there often. Bangladesh is not the same as it was when I left. Hell, it's probably not the same *now* as it was the last time I was there 2 years ago. It would be disingenuous of me...

...to write about the Bangladesh of my childhood and pretend it was an accurate portrayal of it. And this is one of the places where diaspora writers *need* to do due diligence (among others).

And I just want to reiterate privilege one more time. I have privilege as a diaspora writer in the West. My voice is valued more, and given more space in Western publishing. More books are published in the North American publishing industry by writers in the diaspora than not.

So make sure you examine that privilege. What it means, and what responsibilities it comes with.