---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've had a somewhat typical experience in…"
description: "\"I've had a somewhat typical experience in that many of the contemporary writers I was exposed to early on were white and often male.\" — Laura van den Berg"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f12/laura-van-den-berg-4314_early_i-ve-had-a-somewhat-typical-experience-i_2024122.jpg"
---

#  I've had a somewhat typical experience in that many of the…

![“I've had a somewhat typical experience in that many of the contemporary writers I was exposed to early on were white and often male.” quote by Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f12/laura-van-den-berg-4314_early_i-ve-had-a-somewhat-typical-experience-i_2024122.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f12/laura-van-den-berg-4314_early_i-ve-had-a-somewhat-typical-experience-i_2024122.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f12/laura-van-den-berg-4314_early_i-ve-had-a-somewhat-typical-experience-i_2024122.jpg)

> “I've had a somewhat typical experience in that many of the contemporary writers I was exposed to early on were white and often male.”

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Contemporary literature exposure often skews toward white male authors, highlighting a lack of diversity.

**In simple terms:** Literary circles often favor white male writers, limiting diversity.

Key Takeaway

Advocate for broader representation in reading lists.

Themes

diversity literature representation

Mood

hopeful determined

Type

advocacy educational

When to use this quote

- book clubs
- curriculum design
- author events

Key Concepts

cultural studies publishing industry

Questions to Reflect On

- What steps can readers take to diversify their reading?
- How can publishers promote underrepresented voices?

A Different Perspective

Changing entrenched publishing norms is slow.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [With contemporary writers, I often buy books and then realise I've bought them before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/with-contemporary-writers-i-often-buy-books-and-then-realise-i-ve/)

[Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/)

> [If a man has character, he has also his typical experience, which always recurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/if-a-man-has-character-he-has-also-his-typical-experience-which/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [I went to public school my whole life. It was a performing arts school, so I can't say if it was a typical experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eden-sher/i-went-to-public-school-my-whole-life-it-was-a-performing-arts-school/)

[Eden Sher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eden-sher/)

> [Whoever has character also has his typical experience, which returns over and over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/whoever-has-character-also-has-his-typical-experience-which-returns/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [The two contemporary writers whom I consider as role models are Janet Malcolm and Michael Lewis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-two-contemporary-writers-whom-i-consider-as-role-models-are-janet/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [I don't think contemporary writers spend a lot of time reading each other. Particularly writers of the same nationality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/i-don-t-think-contemporary-writers-spend-a-lot-of-time-reading-each/)

[Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/)

> [Honestly, I haven't the time to read contemporary writers. I know this is awful, but in the main it is true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/honestly-i-haven-t-the-time-to-read-contemporary-writers-i-know-this/)

[William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/)

> [Jim Harrison is someone I always enjoy, one of the great contemporary writers. I like Tim Ferris' Big Boom Theory. I'm getting into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/jim-harrison-is-someone-i-always-enjoy-one-of-the-great-contemporary/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [Not that many people, even contemporary writers, write about right now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/not-that-many-people-even-contemporary-writers-write-about-right-now/)

[Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/)

> [“Frank's bio prompts us to to ask ourselves why we seem to require of our art an ironic distance from deep convictions or desperate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/frank-s-bio-prompts-us-to-to-ask-ourselves-why-we-seem-to-require-of/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

> [ I don't think they \[contemporary writers\] read me either. I mean, if we're concerned genuinely with writing, I think we probably get on with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/i-don-t-think-they-contemporary-writers-read-me-either-i-mean-if-we/)

[William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/)

> [Much more than a 20th-century village storyteller, Cees Nooteboom stands as an impressive and inimitable voice among contemporary writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-simon/much-more-than-a-20th-century-village-storyteller-cees-nooteboom/)

Linda Simon

> [I couldn't choose a favourite author, but two contemporary writers who have never disappointed me are Tim Winton and Alice Munro.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariella-frostrup/i-couldn-t-choose-a-favourite-author-but-two-contemporary-writers-who/)

[Mariella Frostrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariella-frostrup/)

> [“It's always difficult when people compare me unfavorably with other contemporary writers. It's much easier when they use examples from earlier eras of fiction.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tad-williams/it-s-always-difficult-when-people-compare-me-unfavorably-with-other/)

[Tad Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tad-williams/)

> [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/)

[Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/)

## More by Laura van den Berg

> [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [I lived in Boston for three years, and during that time, I wrote my first collection of stories, 'What the World Will Look Like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-lived-in-boston-for-three-years-and-during-that-time-i-wrote-my/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [I take a pretty expansive view of craft, which is to say I don't see craft as just being technique - it's also process;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-take-a-pretty-expansive-view-of-craft-which-is-to-say-i-don-t-see/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [To me, in general, something that's really rich in terms of identity about transit spaces is that they're so intimate. Especially thinking about long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/to-me-in-general-something-that-s-really-rich-in-terms-of-identity/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [To a certain degree, I think both self-narrativizing and selective memory are essential survival skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/to-a-certain-degree-i-think-both-self-narrativizing-and-selective/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [There's the public self that we present to the outer world. There's the private self, which maybe takes more time to access. But ultimately,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/there-s-the-public-self-that-we-present-to-the-outer-world-there-s/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [I think my concern is I know my voice, and I know the kinds of landscapes that interest me, so my primary concern is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-think-my-concern-is-i-know-my-voice-and-i-know-the-kinds-of/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [My students are often asking me, 'What do you think are the most important qualities for a writer?' And one thing I always tells…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/my-students-are-often-asking-me-what-do-you-think-are-the-most/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [As a reader, I appreciate a world that feels unsettled and also visceral, inhabitable, so that's a quality I try and bring to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/as-a-reader-i-appreciate-a-world-that-feels-unsettled-and-also/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [Youth is such a fascinating and volatile concoction of vulnerability, dependence, restlessness, relentlessness. You're still learning the terms of the world and of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/youth-is-such-a-fascinating-and-volatile-concoction-of-vulnerability/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [As a genre, the best horror poses central human questions - Who can you trust? What is the cost of our secrets? What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/as-a-genre-the-best-horror-poses-central-human-questions-who-can-you/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [Paradoxically, the only thing that helps when I'm feeling despairing about writing is to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/paradoxically-the-only-thing-that-helps-when-i-m-feeling-despairing/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [“Over time, we became less sure we were something the other wanted to hold on to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/over-time-we-became-less-sure-we-were-something-the-other-wanted-to/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [Ever since I started writing in college, I have, save for a few short breaks here and there, been working away on something. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/ever-since-i-started-writing-in-college-i-have-save-for-a-few-short/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [I wager we have a vast amount of literature out there that tends to the stories of men, so I've never really worried too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-wager-we-have-a-vast-amount-of-literature-out-there-that-tends-to/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

[Explore all 113 Laura van den Berg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

## More Early quotes

> [I was also known as Frodo because I was an early adopter of 'The Lord of the Rings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-was-also-known-as-frodo-because-i-was-an-early-adopter-of-the-lord/)

[Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/)

> [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/)

[Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/)

> [I knew music was for me from an early age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-blue/i-knew-music-was-for-me-from-an-early-age/)

[Jonas Blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-blue/)

> [I definitely count my blessings. I feel like I've had such a great ride. Early on, to be able to work with some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/i-definitely-count-my-blessings-i-feel-like-i-ve-had-such-a-great/)

[Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/)

> [I had been exposed to bitcoin early. I thought the consumer application of it felt, to me, further away. I thought there would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-garlinghouse/i-had-been-exposed-to-bitcoin-early-i-thought-the-consumer/)

[Brad Garlinghouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-garlinghouse/)

> [In the beginning, if you look at those early label albums of the Chicks, we didn't write all that much. We had an A&R…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martie-maguire/in-the-beginning-if-you-look-at-those-early-label-albums-of-the/)

[Martie Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martie-maguire/)

> [With 'Aurangzeb,' I just knew that the film wasn't going to work, though I think it was one of my most underrated performances. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arjun-kapoor/with-aurangzeb-i-just-knew-that-the-film-wasn-t-going-to-work-though/)

[Arjun Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arjun-kapoor/)

> [I grew up in the early '60s, and there was a lot of civil rights, a lot of unrest in our country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herm-edwards/i-grew-up-in-the-early-60s-and-there-was-a-lot-of-civil-rights-a-lot/)

[Herm Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herm-edwards/)

> [The early days were really difficult because it was constant no's, I didn't have an agent. I always knew that I had something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madelyn-cline/the-early-days-were-really-difficult-because-it-was-constant-no-s-i/)

[Madelyn Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madelyn-cline/)

> [The latest I like to be to meeting is 15 minutes early](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-o-mckay/the-latest-i-like-to-be-to-meeting-is-15-minutes-early/)

[David O. McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-o-mckay/)

> [“Why'd she leave so early? It's practically yesterday.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/why-d-she-leave-so-early-it-s-practically-yesterday/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [The game business arose from computer programs that were written by and for young men in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They worked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-laurel/the-game-business-arose-from-computer-programs-that-were-written-by/)

[Brenda Laurel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-laurel/)

> [For years, I had a top secret clearance and never left Russia. Just once did I go to Bulgaria with my wife for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-kalashnikov/for-years-i-had-a-top-secret-clearance-and-never-left-russia-just/)

[Mikhail Kalashnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-kalashnikov/)

> [I suppose I'm led to do so by the fact of what happened to my contemporaries - people whom I've admired, people who I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-woodcock/i-suppose-i-m-led-to-do-so-by-the-fact-of-what-happened-to-my/)

[George Woodcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-woodcock/)

> [Kids in the entertainment industry are at a risk of developing depression, as they see glamour at an early age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divyanka-tripathi/kids-in-the-entertainment-industry-are-at-a-risk-of-developing/)

[Divyanka Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divyanka-tripathi/)

Browse all 3,940 Early quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I've had a somewhat typical experience in that many of the contemporary writers I was exposed to early on were white and often male.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Laura van den Berg"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-ve-had-a-somewhat-typical-experience-in-that-many-of-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Early"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-ve-had-a-somewhat-typical-experience-in-that-many-of-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f12/laura-van-den-berg-4314_early_i-ve-had-a-somewhat-typical-experience-i_2024122.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f12/laura-van-den-berg-4314_early_i-ve-had-a-somewhat-typical-experience-i_2024122.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f12/laura-van-den-berg-4314_early_i-ve-had-a-somewhat-typical-experience-i_2024122.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I've had a somewhat typical experience in that many of the contemporary writers I was exposed to early on…” — Laura van den Berg",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Laura van den Berg",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I've had a somewhat typical experience...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-ve-had-a-somewhat-typical-experience-in-that-many-of-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-ve-had-a-somewhat-typical-experience-in-that-many-of-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```