deep breathe (a woc here) so...with enough research, bringing diversity into literature will definitely not be labelled as appropriation. i never look at who the writer is and instinctively think 'oh..they are [certain race/certain gender], they don't know anything about the other culture/person they wrote about blah blah blah'. i just think that whoever wrote it had a lack of research and empathy, and that is the intellectual response from any educated person. when a poc writes a book about european culture, no one blinks an eye, but why must it be different for the opposite? i really urge non-poc to try and write without the fear of appropriating culture. its all down to research and respect, breaking down race prejudice and cliches. it's also such a brave step to breach your comfort zone and write about other cultures, because you would be researching and learning OUT of appropriation. so please, don't live with appropriated ideas, learn past it. and as a poc, i definitely don't mind people writing about my people/my culture. just as non-poc don't mind when we write about them. i just appreciate the recognition and enjoy the insight other writers have into my culture. of course, one more time - research is key.