Comments on: The Gender Question http://www.timothy-green.org/blog/2009/01/the-gender-question/ Poetry Editor and Struggling Poet Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:38:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: B. J. Buckley http://www.timothy-green.org/blog/2009/01/the-gender-question/#comment-1837 B. J. Buckley Thu, 14 Oct 2010 21:20:07 +0000 http://timothy-green.org/blog/?p=393#comment-1837 Thank you so much for looking into this question, being so open about your process, honest about possible trends, and willing to try and keep your "difficult balance." I am a female poet who, more than 2 decades ago, stopped using my full name and went to initials, in an attempt to circumvent the very real (though not in RATTLE) gender bias. Even considering that my work improved as the years went by, there was a pretty quick TRIPLING of acceptances. As an experiment, I even resubmitted to the same magazines poems that had been rejected under my full name, and had a good number accepted under the initials within a year. Most acceptance notes I get are STILL addressed to "Mr.". I think it is quite possible that men MAY write more -- even if they hold day jobs, the truth is that women in a mixed gender shared household still shoulder the largest share of childcare, chauffering, cooking, cleaning, etc., even if they too have a full time job. So they often have, quite literally, less TIME to write, which means smaller output. If one goes to a large bookstore and does an "informal survey" of the tables of contents of small magazines -- as I did regularly when I was the director of a literary nonprofit, and still do for my own info -- the male/female bias is quite staggering, even when the editor(s) are female. Finding a little magazine that's "only" 2/3's male contributors is "good"; many have counts, M/F, that are (a recent sample), 21/3, 12/5, 17/4 -- and any author name I wasn't sure of I counted as female. So I've always been pleased that RATTLE cruises much closer to the middle, as I like the magazine very much. I have stopped subscribing altogether to little mags where the ratio is regularly heavily unbalanced M to F; and, as many women writers with little extra time do, I have stopped submitting to those as well, choosing to send to magazines where it seems women writers get more of an even break. So it may be that the "more men submitters" may be exacerbated by a perceived bias. Again, thank you for your thoughtful stance, and for RATTLE, whose writers continue to delight and surprise me. Cheers, bj Thank you so much for looking into this question, being so open about your process, honest about possible trends, and willing to try and keep your “difficult balance.”
I am a female poet who, more than 2 decades ago, stopped using my full name and went to initials, in an attempt to circumvent the very real (though not in RATTLE) gender bias. Even considering that my work improved as the years went by, there was a pretty quick TRIPLING of acceptances. As an experiment, I even resubmitted to the same magazines poems that had been rejected under my full name, and had a good number accepted under the initials within a year.
Most acceptance notes I get are STILL addressed to “Mr.”.

I think it is quite possible that men MAY write more — even if they hold day jobs, the truth is that women in a mixed gender shared household still shoulder the largest share of childcare, chauffering, cooking, cleaning, etc., even if they too have a full time job. So they often have, quite literally, less TIME to write, which means smaller output. If one goes to a large bookstore and does an “informal survey” of the tables of contents of small magazines — as I did regularly when I was the director of a literary nonprofit, and still do for my own info — the male/female bias is quite staggering, even when the editor(s) are female. Finding a little magazine that’s “only” 2/3′s male contributors is “good”; many have counts, M/F, that are (a recent sample), 21/3, 12/5, 17/4 — and any author name I wasn’t sure of I counted as female. So I’ve always been pleased that RATTLE cruises much closer to the middle, as I like the magazine very much. I have stopped subscribing altogether to little mags where the ratio is regularly heavily unbalanced M to F; and, as many women writers with little extra time do, I have stopped submitting to those as well, choosing to send to magazines where it seems women writers get more of an even break. So it may be that the “more men submitters” may be exacerbated by a perceived bias. Again, thank you for your thoughtful stance, and for RATTLE, whose writers continue to delight and surprise me. Cheers, bj

]]> By: Almost Cured of Misogyny, Still Have a Cough » Timothy Green http://www.timothy-green.org/blog/2009/01/the-gender-question/#comment-317 Almost Cured of Misogyny, Still Have a Cough » Timothy Green Tue, 17 Mar 2009 19:40:55 +0000 http://timothy-green.org/blog/?p=393#comment-317 [...] brief as-promised follow-up to “The Gender Question.”  I spent the weekend doing the layout for the summer issue, so our contributors are now [...] [...] brief as-promised follow-up to “The Gender Question.”  I spent the weekend doing the layout for the summer issue, so our contributors are now [...]

]]> By: The Gender Question, Part 2 » Timothy Green http://www.timothy-green.org/blog/2009/01/the-gender-question/#comment-316 The Gender Question, Part 2 » Timothy Green Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:05:39 +0000 http://timothy-green.org/blog/?p=393#comment-316 [...] This is a follow-up to Monday’s post. [...] [...] This is a follow-up to Monday’s post. [...]

]]> By: Tim http://www.timothy-green.org/blog/2009/01/the-gender-question/#comment-315 Tim Tue, 27 Jan 2009 07:31:45 +0000 http://timothy-green.org/blog/?p=393#comment-315 Thanks, Angie, that's really sweet! I think I might have a hard time continuing the meme, though...I don't think I know 15 bloggers. It's hard enough keeping up with a handful! Thanks, Angie, that’s really sweet! I think I might have a hard time continuing the meme, though…I don’t think I know 15 bloggers. It’s hard enough keeping up with a handful!

]]> By: angie http://www.timothy-green.org/blog/2009/01/the-gender-question/#comment-314 angie Tue, 27 Jan 2009 06:25:28 +0000 http://timothy-green.org/blog/?p=393#comment-314 Interesting post. (Blog award waiting for you at Gumbo Writer if you're interested in such stuffs.) Interesting post. (Blog award waiting for you at Gumbo Writer if you’re interested in such stuffs.)

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