The Guardian books podcast is up (many thanks to Cheryl for pointing it out). They include mention of the recent fuss over women’s status/visibility in UK sf. I’m identified not as a novelist, or even as English, but as a “sharp-eyed blogger in Seattle.” (No doubt this would surprise my optometrist.) That’s how women sf writers get disappeared.
My friend Gwyneth Jones gets put in the hot seat and does her best to offer perspective. But it’s a difficult position (I know; I’ve been there: everyone’s in a hurry, all they want is a provocative soundbite). I think irony (cf Gwyneth’s statement regarding women taking over the genre ‘for a whole decade’ in the 70s) is risky in this kind of situation and I’m not convinced her commentary was entirely successful. I feel for us all on this one.
Listen to it here. (The sf segment starts at 27:00.)
Onwards and upwards…
Nicola Griffith 
Hahaha what, us? Do journalism? Like…run someone's name through google? NAW.
Yeah, that does not come off well. I can see her intention but other listeners who lack context. . . who knows?
What's been eye-opening to me is reading comments in several places, not just the Guardian but also, for example, over at Floor-to-Ceiling Books, where a vigorous discussion has erupted about the issue, framed in a way that perplexed me. I tried to explain what seemed baffling about it but I am not sure it worked.
Erudite, wow, Floor-to-Ceiling's argument is…well, I don't know where to begin. I think I'll just move on.