Ask the Author: Stephanie Vanderslice
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Stephanie Vanderslice
Hi Liz,
I'm so glad you asked this question! I think the publishing and academic communities can do a lot to support writers of a certain age, and the first thing is to realize how much they bring to the writing scene. They bring a richness of experience that simply cannot be matched and it's important for publishers and writing programs to cherish that. I think many of them do--it's finally being pointed out, for example, that prizes and programs limited to the "40 and under" group are discriminatory, especially to women writers who may put off writing until after they have raised a family. I'm starting to see more prizes and opportunities for OLDER writers; Poet's and Writer's magazine, for example, is starting to profile them more (after being accused of being ageist). I'm a big champion of older writers, in part, because I am one. But for their part, older writers also need to claim their space, to say, "I'm here, I deserve to be here, I'm not going anywhere and I have things to say." Stay tough--lots of writers have started later. And, bottom line, this is about what you need and want to do and you can do that without anyone's permission. Persist!
I'm so glad you asked this question! I think the publishing and academic communities can do a lot to support writers of a certain age, and the first thing is to realize how much they bring to the writing scene. They bring a richness of experience that simply cannot be matched and it's important for publishers and writing programs to cherish that. I think many of them do--it's finally being pointed out, for example, that prizes and programs limited to the "40 and under" group are discriminatory, especially to women writers who may put off writing until after they have raised a family. I'm starting to see more prizes and opportunities for OLDER writers; Poet's and Writer's magazine, for example, is starting to profile them more (after being accused of being ageist). I'm a big champion of older writers, in part, because I am one. But for their part, older writers also need to claim their space, to say, "I'm here, I deserve to be here, I'm not going anywhere and I have things to say." Stay tough--lots of writers have started later. And, bottom line, this is about what you need and want to do and you can do that without anyone's permission. Persist!
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Feb 16, 2018 04:32PM · flag
Feb 17, 2018 07:36PM · flag