4 April 2022
This past fall, I came across an essay published by Literary Hub in defense of genre labels. Author Lincoln Michel argued that, while genre labels are fraught, they are "highly useful" and we "actually need them more than ever."
This point of view intrigued me because it's rare, especially coming from a fiction writer. Many novelists, especially those who consider themselves literary novelists, are loath to define their genre. Why reduce their work to a label or box? Doesn't confining oneself in this way impede the very process of creating art? Some writers wouldn't mind dissolving genre altogether.
