Myslexia YA novel contest-judged by Tame a Dragon Author

[Pamela Jo]

https://mslexia.co.uk/competitions/childrens-and-ya-novel/

Women only. Good internationally.

 

[Dorm Ant]

Two things put me off. One is the whopping £26 entry fee. The other is that the winner won't be decided until next year.

Still, it's nice that Mslexia is still going.

 

[Hannah Faoileán]

I agree. It's pricey.

 

[Dorm Ant]

When Mslexia first started (90s?), I recall there was loads of uproar about the lack of women in literature. Or rather, the lack of bestselling women writers. There was some "Top 50 books to read before you die" list published the the Times, or Guardian, or summat, and only ONE of the writers was female. Hence, a magazine aimed at women. It had a purpose.

Now? Not so sure. In fact, we keep being told that it's harder for male writers, and stories with strong male characters, to get published. It's swung quite far the other way.

Is it right, nowadays, for a publication to be aimed at one gender, and/or have a competition excluding the other? I'd say not. Makes me feel a bit weird. Times have changed, for the better, in that respect. It's also borderline unlawful. When advertising for bra fitters or similar jobs, employers will cite a specific exception to employment law that allows them to be gender exclusive, for safety reasons. A competition doesn't seem like a valid reason to discriminate.

 

[Pamela Jo]

When Mslexia first started (90s?), I recall there was loads of uproar about the lack of women in literature. Or rather, the lack of bestselling women writers. There was some "Top 50 books to read before you die" list published the the Times, or Guardian, or summat, and only ONE of the writers was female. Hence, a magazine aimed at women. It had a purpose.

Now? Not so sure. In fact, we keep being told that it's harder for male writers, and stories with strong male characters, to get published. It's swung quite far the other way.

Is it right, nowadays, for a publication to be aimed at one gender, and/or have a competition excluding the other? I'd say not. Makes me feel a bit weird. Times have changed, for the better, in that respect. It's also borderline unlawful. When advertising for bra fitters or similar jobs, employers will cite a specific exception to employment law that allows them to be gender exclusive, for safety reasons. A competition doesn't seem like a valid reason to discriminate.

Their focus is literary fiction and a number of the winners are from non Anglo Saxon writers or those writing English as a 2nd language. In literary fiction there are still much fewer women published. It's still an old boys network. And there is little gender equality in any marketplace anywhere in the world. Women make much less. The reason more women are published in commercial fiction is because males are making more money in gaming, film or more creative lucrative pursuits. In fact the dismal return for commercial writers probably has much to do with the fact that women are in it and what would be a pittance to a man looks acceptable for a woman's time. It still stands that unless a specific place for women's issues as described by women exists, they will not get heard. There are specific genre's for LGBTQ for that reason. You put a cloche over a plant when it is too tender to survive. Until there is actual gender equality and women's voices are listened to with as much respect as a middle-class males- I have no problem with nurturing women's literary fiction and nonfiction.

 

[Ancora Imparo]

Pete has asked that this thread be closed. If you want to continue the discussion, I suggest taking it to the Back Room.