Even more numbers trouble…
So, AWP is over, and the talk of the literary town is some new “numbers trouble:”
Vida shows women’s books aren’t being reviewed equitably.
The New Republic says, not only are women not being reviewed, they’re not being published equitably either, even by independent presses. (And PS – the gatekeeper (male) editors at the top lit mags aren’t publishing women equitably, either. Except, surprisingly, Poetry.)
The thing to keep in mind when looking at those percentages is thinking about the fact that more women than men buy books, so sensibly, we should be running the joint!
This kind of thing can be discouraging for a young woman writer. I know it is for me. I think about the actions I can take: buy books by women, review books by women, support magazines and publishers who publish women equitably, etc. In the classes in which I have a say, I teach a 50/50 mix of men and women, or pretty close. If I had unlimited funds, I would totally start a press. But it kind of hurts when you’re trying to psych yourself up to send out a poetry packet, or a book manuscript, or a review query, and you let yourself think: these folks publish less than 25% women. And those women are usually already famous. Dang.
What do you all think?
A quick update: Jeanne Leiby from The Southern Review looks at her numbers compared to her submission percentages – eye-opening! Clearly, this is a complex issue with more than one problematic aspect…
Even more updates: Editors take on the numbers here, here and here. And the inimitable Jim Behrle’s take.
Not Helpless: Women and Poetry and Numbers Trouble
Once again, there is numbers trouble brewing. Yes, though women far outnumber men as readers of books, women who write their own books are in trouble if they expect an equal number of reviews, awards, etc., as their male counterparts. Who are the serious women writers getting overlooked in favor of the Franzen’s of the world? Will we ever hear about them? Will they fade into obscurity because no one will talk about them, no one will even look at their books on the review pile or prize committee nominations?
I want to point out that we are not just helpless victims in this matter. Some of the most influential critics in the country are women. They’re just choosing to write about men’s books. So what can you do? Speak up! Write in the New York Times Review of Books or The New Republic and ask for equity in book reviews. Write your own book reviews and publish them. Make noise about women writers you love and appreciate, especially those who are up-and-coming. I hope one day there will be more equity, or at least that it will be a consideration, among those doling out the prizes and grants and reviews and other things that can make or break a writer’s career, give them hope, keep them from giving up. Until then, we do what we can.
