"I think ethnic and regional labels are insulting to writers and really put restrictions on them. People don't think your work is quite as universal"

This quote by James Welch talks to the idea that identifying authors by their ethnicity or region can be limiting and insulting. He suggests that when authors are labeled in this method, their work is not viewed as being as widely appropriate as it could be. This implies that writers are not given the same level of regard and recognition as they would be if they were not labeled in this way. Welch is recommending that writers ought to be evaluated on the quality of their work, instead of on their ethnicity or region. He believes that this would enable authors to be viewed as more than just a product of their background, and would permit them to be valued for their special viewpoints and concepts. By getting rid of these labels, Welch thinks that authors would have the ability to reach a broader audience and be viewed as more than simply a product of their background.