Where are all the Broken-hearted Women? ~ by Laurie Steed [13.01.2010]
2010 is already shaping up as another quality year for Australian independent short fiction. Affirm Press is releasing six collections as part of their Long Story Shorts series. Already confirmed are collections by Emmett Stinson, Barry Divola, and Bob Franklin.
Of the 200 submissions received by Affirm Press, around 80 percent have been from male writers. Publisher Martin Hughes is keen to see a more balanced spread between the genders, and is hoping for an influx from female writers in time for the second deadline on February 1st.
This year also sees the release of the next Sleepers almanac, a collection which often features the best women writers in the country, and yet, according to Sleepers Editorial Director Louise Swinn, the majority of their submissions are also from male writers, be they brilliant, brooding, or mildly unhinged.
In 2009, things seemed equally skewed. The 2009 Melbourne Prize for Literature, for example, was a veritable sausage-fest, with Barry Hill, Shane Maloney, Gerald Murnane and Alex Miller tackling sole female Hannie Rayson, with Gerald Murnane taking final honours.
Which begs the question: where are all the broken-hearted women today? Where are the open-soul, pen scratching into the page of the first-draft, thesaurus-scouring, story-shaping women when we need them?
If you are a female short story writer (or a male writer willing to pretend to be a woman), now is your time to shine. Pick up a pen, turn on your laptop, if you have kids then send them to the park and get writing. If you have a story to submit, head here. If you have a whole collection, head here. And if you have neither, then head to Little Cupcakes.
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Comments
Charlotte — 14 January at 01:53PM
We are still living in an inherently sexist world - and that is reflected in the arts, generally. Men are predisposed to creative confidence. Most women, whether they are conscious of it or not, behave more passively in their literary endeavours.
Koraly Dimitriadis — 14 January at 02:21PM
Since most people decide to become writers at a more mature age, the 'women' you are searching for are most likely to be mothers, tearing thmselves bewteen writing and childrearing while society clearly shoves them in their place. I wrote an article yesterday on Overland about it. http://web.overland.org.au/?p=3113
So it seems, if you are without child in the writing industry, you have a HUGE advantage...
Laurie — 15 January at 01:17AM
Thanks for your thoughts, Charlotte. What fears guide such passivity, do you think? Are women more afraid of the judgment of men or of other women?
Thanks also for your comments and the link to your article on Overland,Koraly;I agree that discussion on gender roles is essential in any free-thinking society and hope that your article encourages such discussion amongst both women and men.
Lou Swinn — 15 January at 01:58PM
Laurie: as usual, a terrific, thought-provoking article. I think both Charlotte and Koraly (great article over at Overland, Koraly) have relevant points too. It's frustrating, seeing the under-representation of women when those of us in the industry know that there seem to be loads of women, just everywhere, working hard at everything to do with books and writing. Another example of it is that I ask at least as many women as men, probably more, for cover quotes, and more often get turned down by the women. A lot of it is to do, I think, with not enough bandwidth between the child/house-rearing and bill-paying for more Unpaid Work; it's certainly not about goodwill, and I hate to see a rejection of the heavy-hearted. 'It's okay!' I think, 'I understand!'