Because yes, this conversation is ongoing, and I keep seeing commentary that’s worth attention.
From Seanan McGuire, Sexism, the current SFWA kerfuffle, and “lady authors.”.
From N.K. Jemisin, her Continuum GoH Speech, including her commentary on what it’s like to be a PoC in Australia, and how she extrapolates from that to what advances she’d like to see in the genre as a result of what’s going on.
From Chuck Wendig, 25 Things to Know about Sexism & Misogyny in Writing & Publishing.
And, linked to by Wendig, Delilah S. Dawson adds On Sexism in Publishing, or Why I’m Writing this Now Instead of Two Days Ago.
I decided after absorbing the ongoing commentary about this from many sides that it would be worth my time to put down the dues to join NIWA, the Northwest Independent Writers Association. Because for the time being, while I do have a title out from Carina and expect to finish my trilogy with them, I’m still an indie/hybrid author.
Because if there’s one thing this ongoing controversy is teaching me, it’s that it’s important for writers to make their voices heard. And I’d like to support an organization that gives a voice to authors in my position. I’m looking forward to seeing what this association will bring for me. But at the same time, I’m hoping that SFWA will be listening to the voices being raised, and that moving forward, there will be progress.
ETA: Editing to add Chrysoula Tzavelas’ excellent suggestion to help fight -ism’s in publishing by signalboosting authors who have been overlooked because of their gender, their race, their sexual orientation, or anything else that may have gotten them tagged too unusual for the market.
