This Publisher Is Only Releasing Books by Women
Even at the most progressive colleges and universities, the average English lit class syllabus is usually dominated by white male authors. Meanwhile, works by women and writers of color are typically relegated to specialty elective classes. One publisher is seeking to change that. And Other Stories is a publishing house that has pledged to only publish female authors in 2018.
In an op-ed published in The Guardian, writer Kamila Shamsie challenged publishers to make 2018 the year of publishing women. She noted that we haven’t quite hit equality when it comes to all of the diverse voices in American literature. She noticed that there is a drastic imbalance when it comes to the ratio of male and female authors who’ve won major literary awards over the past decades, and she’s hoping that a year of publishing women will shift society’s thinking when it comes to inclusiveness at the bookstore. So far And Other Stories is the only publishing house taking Ms. Shamsie up on her challenge.
We are interested to see if other publishers follow suit, and we can’t wait to discover even more talented female authors. Hopefully And Other Stories’ decision sparks an increase in female writers that will transform the current state of male-dominated fiction.
Do you think a year of publishing women is a good idea? Share your thoughts in the comments.
(h/t Hello Giggles)
