Mslexia

Mslexia is a British magazine for women writers, founded and edited by Debbie Taylor. Mslexia contains articles on writing and writers and encourages independent publishers and bookshops and innovations in writing. Many well-respected writers have contributed articles, including Patricia Duncker, Sara Maitland, Trezza Azzopardi, Amanda Craig and Linda Leatherbarrow. It was first published in March 1999[1] and is produced four times a year. Mslexia has about 11,000 subscribers.[2]

Name

Its name is an amalgam of Ms, meaning woman, and lexia, meaning words.

According to the official Mslexia website:[2]

Mslexia means women’s writing (ms = woman lexia = words). Its association with dyslexia is intentional. Dyslexia is a difficulty, more prevalent in men, with reading and spelling. Mslexia is a difficulty, more prevalent in women, with getting into print. Mslexia is the complex set of conditions and expectations that prevents women, who as girls so outshine boys in verbal skills, from becoming successful authors. The magazine Mslexia aims to define, explore and help overcome the condition of mslexia and provide a platform and playground for women writers. Its intention is to provide information, guidance and inspiration for published and unpublished authors, and improve the quality and standing of women’s literature.

Content

Each quarter, a guest editor picks the best prose and poetry new writing on a theme specified in a previous issue. Past guest editors have included Val McDermid, Kirsty Gunn, Deborah Moggach, and Helen Simpson. There are also opportunities for readers to contribute to the rest of the magazine, such as the autobiographical and Flash fiction sections which also have set themes. Mslexia also run an annual Women's Poetry Competition with a 1st prize of £1000, the winners of which are published in the magazine. Past judges have included U. A. Fanthorpe and R. V. Bailey (2007), Wendy Cope (2006) and Jo Shapcott (2005).

The back section of the magazine contains book reviews and thorough listings including national and regional events, competitions, writing courses and publications seeking submissions.

Controversy

In September 2020, the magazine asked author Amanda Craig to step down as a competition judge after she signed an open letter to The Sunday Times in defence of comments made by J. K. Rowling. Rowling's comments[3] on gender and sex had become the focus of a divisive debate on social media. The magazine's board believed that Craig's support for Rowling's comments were incompatible with her position on the judging panel of the prize. In a statement to The Bookseller they said:

if a Mslexia judge expresses views that threaten to undermine Mslexia’s climate of welcome and inclusivity, we will always ask her to step down from that role.[4]

References
  1. "15 Women's Magazines That Don't Suck, Are Awesome". Autostraddle. 11 April 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  2. ::Welcome to Mslexia:: Archived 2008-03-25 at the Wayback Machine
  3. The Guardian (June 11, 2020). "Why is JK Rowling speaking out now on sex and gender debate?". The Guardian.
  4. The Bookseller (September 30, 2020). "Craig asked to step down as Myslexia judge after signing Rowling support letter". The Bookseller.
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