In the media is a weekly round-up of features written by, about or containing female writers that have appeared during the previous week and I think are insightful, interesting and/or thought-provoking. Linking to them is not necessarily a sign that I agree with everything that’s said but it’s definitely an indication that they’ve made me think. Also, just a note to make it clear that I’m using the term ‘media’ to include social media, so links to blog posts as well as traditional media are likely.
I’m a huge fan of lists, despite the inevitability of me adding several books to my TBR from them. Two in particular caught my attention this week:
- Zadie Smith on Oprah’s website talks about ‘What it Means to be Addicted to Reading’, including a list of things she’s read and enjoyed.
- Flavorwire ran a list of ’50 Excellent Novels by Writers Under 50′. I’m aware that the age restriction is arbitrary but it doesn’t invalidate the list which is indeed excellent.
The Guardian First Book Award longlist was announced this week. The longlist looks pretty good (although male dominated with 7 books to 4 by females) but what was more interesting was the piece Richard Lea wrote about deciding which of the readers’ choices was to go forward.
I read three great interviews with female writers:
- Evie Wyld in Guernica discusses writing All the Birds, Singing with Meara Sharma;
- Helen MacDonald is interviewed about her latest book, H is for Hawk, by Melissa Harrison on Caught by the River; (If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know how much I loved reading this book earlier this week; review coming soon.)
- Amy Bloom is interviewed about her work by Elizabeth Day in the Observer.
And four interesting essays:
- Helen DeWitt wrote the Diary in the current edition of the London Review of Books on her experience of being stalked. It is terrifying.
- Zoe Pilger wrote about the brilliance of Nighty Night and its creator and star, Julia Davis, for The Junket.
- With Women In Translation Month underway, this essay by Rosamund Bartlett ‘Tolstoy Translated’, in the Financial Times, focusing particularly on Constance Garnett.
- Finally, Roxane Gay, whose essay collection Bad Feminist is published in the UK this week, blogged about her experience of racism when buying computer games. The final paragraph all the more pertinent in light of today’s news.
Have you read anything interesting that’s not on my list? Let me know in the comments.
