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John Kirsch's avatar

I have actually seen female editors say male writers just have to accept being ignored because it's time for female writers to dominate.

I had to give the editor credit for at least being honest even though her sentiment was deplorable.

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D. P. Snyder's avatar

I have two responses, besides my usual "You've posted another banger, Becky!" First, The printing press debuted in 1440 and women only started shining in the literary world in the 21st century. Thus men, particularly white men from first world countries, wailing about their work not being treated equitably does not move me in the least. Ours is not a desire for vengeance, it is rather recognizing that *women are still under actual physical, political, and economic threat* all around the world and telling our stories is not just a matter of satisfaction for us but rather of SURVIVAL. Second, it is worth noticing that those who are able to dedicate themselves to literary work are often the people who have the social and economic privilege to do so, and for them to be the main gatekeepers at prestige presses and publications is problematic because they possess a point of view and aesthetic that is inevitably tinted by that privilege and dismissive of alternative aesthetics and points of view. As long as we do not have major governmental INVESTMENT OF MONEY in culture --- now, we have aggressive DISINVESTMENT in it thanks to the current wave of populism and global tehcno-fascism, which is also male-driven BTW, the gatekeepers of literature will continue to be white, wealthy, largely male, and from hegemonic cultures.

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