Mslexia

Mslexia is a British magazine for women writers, founded and edited by Debbie Taylor. Mslexia contains articles and resources on writers, writing, and publishing. Writers who have contributed articles include 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]

Mslexia
FrequencyQuarterly
PublisherMslexia Publications Limited
FounderDebbie Taylor
Websitehttp://www.mslexia.co.uk/

Name

The name is an portmanteau of Ms, for 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 Its intention is to provide information, guidance and inspiration for published and unpublished authors, and improve the quality and standing of women's literature.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 runs 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 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 criticising online abuse of J. K. Rowling. Rowling's comments[3] on gender and sex had become the focus of a divisive debate on social media. In a statement to The Bookseller, the magazine's board 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. Riese (11 April 2012). "15 Women's Magazines That Don't Suck, Are Awesome". Autostraddle. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  2. ::Welcome to Mslexia:: Archived 25 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Brooks, Libby (11 June 2020). "Why is JK Rowling speaking out now on sex and gender debate?". The Guardian.
  4. Cowdrey, Katherine (30 September 2020). "Craig asked to step down as Myslexia judge after signing Rowling support letter". The Bookseller.
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