Gender and Writing Submissions

My amazing ten days in the Green Mountain State has given me lots to think about re: writing and life, and at the moment I'm also overwhelmed by catching up on the news and all it the web has had to offer while I was gone. Like any good writer, to compensate for said overwhemed-ness, I've spent the day intensely focused on shopping for Important things like a new shoulder bag, with pockets in it for pens and stuff, and a new water bottle so I can save the environment. Also purchasedthe latter because my beloved put poorly constructed VCFA-emblazoned water bottle spilled all over my Montpelier "Bear Pond Books" bag this morning and killed my cellphone. Again. (Shoddy merchandising, oh institution that I kind of love already.)

Anyway, here is one article that grabbed me even while I was immersed in my hectic schedule up Nawth; you may have already it seen (or not). The Awl published a brief run-down on the way men and women pitch articles to their site. Needless to say, the differences the author found were stark, and the self-promotion and breeziness was largely on one side of the gender divide, while the apologies were on the other. Quelle suprise. It really made me think about my own shabby ability to self-promote, as well as the way strength and talent is perceived in the literary world vis a vis the way writers present themselves.

And lest you think I'm the only feminist ruminating on these findings, here is a follow up post on the issue: "How men and women pitch differently" from Feministe by Nisha Chittal.