ffs, amanda craig novellist dropped from mslexia

[Helmetbymidnight]

according to nick cohen on twitter, amanda craig novellist has been dropped as a judge from mslexia because she signed the jkr letter - a womens writing magazine! - absolutely shocking. and frightening.

@PigeonToe

What kind of writer can't bear to be on a panel with another writer who disagrees with them? What kind of author dooms themselves to an intellectual cul-de-sac like that? Mindblowing.

Yes, I absolutely agree with this. Why does a writer, of all people, think that everyone needs to share the same opinion? Isn't the most interesting writing often born of wrestling with internal/external conflict?

The person who complained was another novelist Kiran Millwood Hargrave. I believe this author may have been another member of a competition judging panel Amanda Craig was on.

Really unbelievable.

Kiran Millwood Hargrave has now locked her a Twitter account.

Sorry just seen in the thread that this is known news

www.ipetitions.com/petition/in-solidarity-with-jk-rowling

In case this hasn't been mentioned.

FFS. This is stupid and ridiculous and will probably spell the end for Mslexia.

But tagging KMH on twitter just seems hypocritical. So now we are going to cancel a woman writer because she spoke out about Amanda Craig? That was stupid and wrong and maybe it was an attempt at bullying, but it's Mslexia who's at fault for capitulating to her demands. They should have just told her to piss off. Now it looks like a bun fight, and the moral high ground has been lost.

Around 4000 signatures now, and international too

I will be also be cancelling my subscription to Mslexia today, and will most definitely be letting them know why.

I’m genuinely upset about this. Not because I’m particularly attached to the mag (I’ve always felt it was a bit too pleased with itself) but because of this phenomenon of women attacking women for sticking up for other women. It’s baffling and utterly depressing.

I don’t know Amanda Craig’s work, but will certainly buying some of her books later (along with Troubled Blood which I haven’t got yet).

I have to ask - where did the name come from? When I first saw it I assumed it was an educational mag for women (maybe dyslexia?). Anyway. Now Mxlxia?

I've cancelled my subscription and asked them to take me off their mailing list. Actually I just realised I've sent my strongly-worded email to their letters page! I actually won runners up prize a couple of times in their competitions but I won't be claiming those as any kind of honour any more.

I hope it was a years supply of their cat litter tray liner magazine. Return used...

Absolutely fuxking ridiculous

I noticed that the woman running the FB group stated her pronouns but let it go.

Have also noticed that they state 'anyone who identifies as a woman' in their submission guidelines and let that go too, but personally felt it was odd given that of the magazine's focus over the years is around the barriers faced by women due to their biology - eg managing a career with children, how many children should you have, does one child equal one book less to write etc etc.

Have been thinking of resubscribing but was feeling slightly resentful of the 'state your pronouns' compelled groupspeak so hadn't, and now definitely won't.

@Helmetbymidnight

some self-righteous child. but the responsibility lies with mslexia- they should have laughed and told her to fuck off. why they didn't is bewildering.

Yup. The correct response should have been "Off you pop then."

@SerenityNowwwww

I have to ask - where did the name come from? When I first saw it I assumed it was an educational mag for women (maybe dyslexia?). Anyway. Now Mxlxia?

Hope the picture displays OK. From the magazine explaining the name.

I think I read in a previous issue that the similarity between Mslexia and dyslexia was deliberate because of the difficulties women face in writing and publishing.

@queenofknives

FFS. This is stupid and ridiculous and will probably spell the end for Mslexia.

But tagging KMH on twitter just seems hypocritical. So now we are going to cancel a woman writer because she spoke out about Amanda Craig? That was stupid and wrong and maybe it was an attempt at bullying, but it's Mslexia who's at fault for capitulating to her demands. They should have just told her to piss off. Now it looks like a bun fight, and the moral high ground has been lost.

KMH did have a (polite but scolding) public exchange with AC so someone was bound to make the connection, but yeah, tagging her in does make it all seem hypocritical. AC didn't announce being dropped either, she's said thanks to people who have sent commiserations but she's being v clear about not encouraging bullying of anyone (which is a bit more decent than KMH's 'poor me' stance).

How much funding do Mslexia get, and how much advertising do they have? AFAIK advertising is - or used to be - much more important to magazines than subscribers.

Just bought one of her books.

I really hope KMH doesn’t get targeted because I think it is important that women feel able to speak up about feeling uncomfortable without getting punished for it, and particularly without getting punished for other people’s overreaction, because although in this case I think her feelings of discomfort don’t deserve action being taken, when women feel uncomfortable about more serious things they often question themselves and whether they should speak up.
In this case the fault lies primarily with Mslexia who are not being the grown ups here.

Going to email them and I hope everyone else on this thread does too.

well that was a cathartic email :D

KMH is a bloody coward - if she really felt AC was SO dreadful and she wanted to make a point she could have stood down but she didnt. She made it very passively aggressively clear who needed to go and mslexia are spineless cowards

Touching on that, Countess, I was thinking this morning that Mslexia bent over backwards to accommodate a woman's discomfort about a woman's signature to a letter, but what would have happened if she'd said she was uncomfortable because a fellow (male) judge had publicly supported someone alleged to have committed sexual assault?

If women say being in the same space as a man makes them 'uncomfortable', what happens?

It's odd.

I don’t think KMH should be targeted (she had only received a few mild comments on Twitter when she locked down). I think it is always bad to have a pile on because when a woman is piled on there are certain people who will just join in (and they are the sort of people who dish out all sorts of abuse online).

I do think Mslexia deserve heavy criticism for this as they made a poor decision in dropping Amanda Craig. Who do they think their readers are?

Amanda Craig is very classy. Which of her books do you recommend? I looked at the Golden Rule but that is a bit too close to the bone for me as it is about domestic abuse.

I agree with wellbehavedwomen ‘s post on page 1. It is very sad that any woman could read JKR’s statement and interpret that as hatred. My dds met KMH at a book signing and she was lovely to them, she is clever and interesting, the sort of young woman who twenty five or thirty years ago would have been completely supportive of other women. I am baffled by the attitudes of so many young, intelligent women towards their own sex. It feels like treachery to me. Throwing other women to the wolves whilst looking like the virtuous one.

KMH could've quietly dropped out if she felt so uncomfortable judging a competition with a woman who stood up against misogyny.

What she actually did was deliberately tell her employers that she couldn't possibly work with Amanda who she considered a big meanie bigot and that they must choose which to dismiss, but that if they got rid of KMH they too would be big meanie bigots who aligned themselves with the bigger meanier JKR. The biggest crime on the planet.

Bullying with the intention of causing another woman to lose employment because she had a different opinion to you.

@nepeta

I think the tombstone of feminism will read "BE KIND".

Indeed.

I feel exasperated with all this and I haven't read this author before but glad to have someone new to buy. I will be purchasing one of her books, maybe more.

@TheCountessofFitzdotterel

I really hope KMH doesn’t get targeted because I think it is important that women feel able to speak up about feeling uncomfortable without getting punished for it, and particularly without getting punished for other people’s overreaction, because although in this case I think her feelings of discomfort don’t deserve action being taken, when women feel uncomfortable about more serious things they often question themselves and whether they should speak up. In this case the fault lies primarily with Mslexia who are not being the grown ups here.

I do agree with this. I'm disappointed that another woman author has acted in such an unpleasant and thoughtless manner to another woman and supported tacitly the obscene misogyny leveled at JK Rowling but it won't help to pile on, it will just confirm her thoughts.

I also agree with posts which said she actively went out to get Craig removed not just saying I disagree and leaving. It is upsetting and very disappointing to see women treating others in their profession in this manner.