CWILA, Canadian Women in the Literary Arts, is gearing up for it’s 2012 count, and it could use your help.

Women continue to be under represented in review media. Though women publish roughly half the books, and statistically buy more books then men, the number of reviews published in major news outlets don’t reflect this. In 2011, almost half the books reviewed written and reviewed by men (44%). The remaining numbers: 18% men reviewing women, 15% women reviewing men, and 23% women reviewing women. It gets even worse when you drill down publication by publication.

That’s 62% of reviews published in Canada, were written by men, most of them of men’s books. CWILA has already taken steps to counter that, in creating a Critic-in-Residence program, which encourages women “foster vital criticism that promotes public awareness of women’s literary and critical presence in Canadian letters,” and comes with a stipend of $3000.

CWILA has interviewed editors from many major publications, shares essays, posts writing calls, maintains an active mailing list, and fosters community among women writers across a wide variety of disciplines. It’s a fantastic organization, and I’m proud to be a part of it.

If you’re not already a member, you can join here. If you are, but want to help even more (bless your heart), you can find out more about CWILA and what your donation will help fund.

There are a few projects on the go, and it’s important to keep track of what’s happening, and celebrating progress. Many of the editors interviewed were surprised to see how poorly they faired at gender parity, and, hopefully, have made adjustments to counter this, which should be reflected in the 2012 count.

I volunteer on the admin team as a webmaster, and I’ll be helping with the count for 2012. I hope you can help too.

The 2012 VIDA count has been out for more than a month now, and now Strange Horizons has released their 2012 count for science fiction and fantasy. The numbers do not look good, kids. More here.

I’ll be helping with CWILA‘s 2012 count this year. I’ve just received my instructions. I’ll keep you posted as to when the data’s been published.

These list and counts are important to help address where and how women are being reviewed. Women publish at least half the books, and buy more than half of them, yet women are chronically under represented in critical media. These counts provide quantifiable proof of this, and help raise questions as to why this is happening, and what can be done to correct it.

Women are being erased from Wikipedia’s lists of prominent novelists and relegated to separate lists, instead of American Novelists, they have recently been moved to American Women Novelists. Only men, it seems, have no need for qualifiers – they are representative of their entire country, no matter how minor the writer, whereas women are being marginalized as “special interest.”

On the rare occasion when women are reviewed, celebrated, and interviewed, they are frequently asked objectifying and invasive questions – questions that would never be asked of men. It’s even worse in the film and music industries, as I’ve linked before and undoubtedly will again.

The Totally Hip Book Review looks at “women’s fiction” – a vicious satire. I’m not sure whether these tears are from laughter or despair. This is the reality we live in.

Ever onward, deep in linkage:

• Wonder what the Tardis library looks like? Here are a few photos.
• Kim Gordon is amazing.
• Paperbacks continue to be relevant.
• Have too many books? Try throwing a book swap party. (Don’t read this one, Drew. This is for other people.)
• Check out England’s newest superhero: Englishman. No, seriously.
• Sheila Heti’s lost zine restored.
• Poets aren’t actually scary people.
• Cris Beam on writing a YA novel about a transgender boy.
• Grimes doesn’t want to compromise her morals to make a living. Great manifesto.
• The Dalai Lama would be pleased if his successor was a woman.
• Awesome piece about being a black male feminist.
• More sexist journalism, and a strong counter. The Twitterati see right through this shit.

I heart Twitter.

Those of who who are bookish and on Twitter probably already participate in the hashtag #fridayreads, sharing what you’re reading with your adoring public, but how do you arrive at these selections? Check out Bookgaga for info on #thursdayreviews. A idea whose time has come.

Also, check out WaterstonesOxfordSt’s (@WstonesOxfordSt) BOOK FACTS. Pure gold. Follow them for more.

Lots of poetry, some lit crit, and a burnt lasange.

30. Rush, by bill bissett
(BookThug, 2012)

Reviewed for Broken Pencil.

31. Heroines, by Kate Zambreno
(Semiotext(e), 2012)

When I saw it in Book City, I couldn’t resist picking it up. Zambreno looks at the “mad” literary wives of famous authors as they’re popularly portrayed, with the men suffering their “difficulties,” when these same – or worse – resistances and reluctances in men, are seen as signs of their fastidious genius.

She writes from a very personal, very bloggy perspective, and it doesn’t come as a surprise that much of this text was cribbed from her blog, Francis Farmer is My Sister, which I hadn’t read previously, but now finds a place in my RSS feeds.

It’s an interesting book, personal biography intertwined with literary biography and feminist assessment. I hope to see more in this style. Continue reading »