Over 2,000 women took part in our survey about motherhood and creative writing (thank you), and it painted a picture of a period of drastic and often overwhelming change. How does having a baby affect us as writers? That’s what this issue’s Agenda aims to explore (p8).
A mother/daughter relationship is the driving force of Lauren Collett’s winning short story – ‘Lanugo’ – chosen by Leone Ross, in which a mother contends with her daughter’s anorexia diagnosis (p37). And motherhood is also the heartbeat of Kim Moore’s story ‘little fish’, an emotional sucker punch of a story which sees a new mother take time out at a cheap hotel (p44).
Elsewhere, novelist Stephanie Butland talks to bestselling romance author Lindsey Kelk about literary kinship and taking romance seriously as a genre (p23). Jill Dawson discusses how a conversation with award-winning memoirist Cathy Rentzenbrink was a turning point in her journey towards being comfortable with public speaking (p72). And writer Ellen Jones considers how her career as a literary translator feeds into her own work (p62).
If there’s an overriding message in this issue, it’s about the importance of community and care. They say it takes a village to raise a child; it takes a village to raise a writer, too, and that’s why we’re so glad to have you in the Mslexia family.
MAXINE DAVIES is Mslexia’s Production Editor. Her work has been shortlisted for the Spread the Word Life Writing Prize and the Creative Future Writing Awards, and has placed in the Reflex Flash Fiction Competition. She has been commended for the Laura Kinsella Fellowship, and was awarded DYCP funding from Arts Council England to work on her novel. She lives in Newcastle with her husband, her daughter and Dinah the cat.
I LEARNED ABOUT CONSISTENCY AND CARE, AND ABOUT WHAT I WOULD CHOOSE TO SAY ‘NO’ TO IN ORDER TO MAKE SPACE FOR MY PRIORITIES MAXINE DAVIES, P8
Forum 5 Mslexia poll;
Writing nest; Bear necessities; Blogability 6 What you’re saying;
Mslexia Salon 7 #amwriting: Angela
Williams on writing with ovarian cancer Agenda 8 The pram in the hall:
Maxine Davies looks at how motherhood affects creativity Craft 15 Writing exercises and warm-ups; It works for me with Jen Campbell; Poet Laureate 17 Flash primer, with
Martha Lane 19 Self-editing, with
Elle Nash 20 Timepiece; Flash challenge, judged by Meg Pokrass 21 Poetry challenge,
judged by Linda France Interview 23 Stephanie Butland talks to bestselling romance author Lindsey Kelk Reading for writers 27 Breaking the mould with Denise Rose Hansen; Books about writing 28 The Knowledge:
Socially conscious horror, with Julie Vuong 30 What’s new in poetry by Ellora Sutton 31 Indie in the news:
Banshee Press 32 What’s new in short stories by Terri-Jane Dow 33 Indie in the news:
Oneworld Showcase 35 Leone Ross introduces the winners of the 2024 Mslexia Short Story Competition 48 Mary-Jane Holmes introduces the winners of the 2024 Mslexia Flash Fiction Competition
Creativity & Wellbeing 53 Symbols, with Mary
Craig; Eley Williams’ Achilles’ heel 54 Writing lives:
Matilda Welin on keeping a diary 56 Staying power, with
Safiya Robinson 57 Playing with poetry, with Sophie Herxheimer Career 59 The happy freelancer, with Sian Meades-Williams 60 Proud to place,
with agent Laura Bennett; My portfolio career 61 How to write a pitch letter, with Catherine Cho 62 Language work:
Ellen Jones on her career as a literary translator 64 Noticeboard Opportunities 66 Open for submissions; Insight: Edinburgh
Short Story Award
67 Three of a kind:
ecology magazines 68 Insight: The
Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting 70 Insight: Emily
MacDonald’s manuscript wishlist Off the page 71 The world’s wife;
Eyeverse 72 Stage fright:
Jill Dawson on overcoming her fear of public speaking 75 Gaining access, with
Julie Farrell 76 Bedtime story;
Breaking the mould, with Kris Johnson; Mslexia Moths, judged by Molly Naylor Events 78 Events and courses 80 Getting a gig: Firepit
Tales And finally 81 Lola Young’s bedside table 82 Submitting and subscribing to Mslexia c o n t e n t s
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3 CONTENTS / Mslexia / Dec/Jan/Feb 2024/25
‘I was writing books about women’s issues and women’s lives, but people told me they were just silly girl books’ LINDSEY KELK P23
When I open my own teenage diaries, it’s like reading the story of myself anew MATILDA WELIN P54
To be a good translator, I also have to be a good critic, a good copyeditor, even a good publicist ELLEN JONES P62
The piece of paper in my hand with my poem on it began shaking JILL DAWSON P72
