The famous saying that ‘paths are made by walking’ is especially true of the pieces in this edition of Mslexia.
In her lead agenda article (p8) Seyi Akiwowo argues that the increasingly hostile material on today’s major social media platforms is driving millions of women to vote with their feet – an exodus that may herald the start of a new dawn online.
Also forging her own path is Silvia Moreno-Garcia (p23), who charted a zigzag course to literary stardom via flash fiction, short stories, and novels in a dizzying variety of genres. ‘Do your own thing,’ she advises. ‘If your heart is not really in it, people can tell.’
That’s what the winner of this year’s Poetry Competition Lisa Fudio did with her poem ‘Thinking in Spanish’ (p37), a concise and powerful meditation on her grief at the death of her father, that emerged ‘as a single thought’. Also doing her own thing was Hayley Frances, who invented an entirely new kind of launch event for her collection (p72), involving a multimedia soundscape. For Samatha Carr, riding the emotional rollercoaster of perimenopause, the path involved developing a new voice in prose fiction (p7).
In the words of ‘Defying Gravity’, the song that powers Rachel Mann’s path of creation (p15), ‘It’s time to trust my instincts, close my eyes and leap... and you can’t pull me down’.
DEBBIE TAYLOR is the founder and Editorial Director of Mslexia. She has written for Oxfam, UNICEF, Anti-Slavery, WHO and others about women and social issues. Her many books include My Children, My Gold (Virago), a travelogue about single mothers, and The Fourth Queen (Penguin), a novel set in a harem in 18th-Century Morocco. Her latest novel is Herring Girl (Oneworld), a paranormal historical murder mystery.
ACCORDING TO STATISTICS GATHERED BY THE UNITED NATIONS, WOMEN GLOBALLY ARE 27 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO BE HARASSED ONLINE THAN MEN SEYI AKIWOWO, P8
Forum 5 Mslexia poll; Writing nest;
Bear necessities; Blogability 6 What you’re saying;
Mslexia Salon 7 #amwriting:
Samantha Carr on writing with HRT side effects Agenda 8 Social anxiety:
Seyi Akiwowo on women’s response to toxicity in social media Craft 15 Writing exercises and warm-ups; It works for me with Rachel Mann; 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 Laura Steven talks to novelist Silvia Moreno-Garcia Reading for writers 27 Breaking the mould with Denise Rose Hansen; Books about writing 28 The Knowledge:
Cosy crime, with Julie Vuong 30 What’s new in poetry by Ellora Sutton 31 Indie in the news:
The Emma Press 32 What’s new in short stories by Terri-Jane Dow 33 Indie in the news:
Dahlia Books Showcase 34 Jane Hirshfield introduces the winners of the 2024 Mslexia Poetry Competition Creativity & Wellbeing 53 Symbols, with
Mary Craig; Clare Mackintosh’s Achilles’ heel
54 Birthing a story: Jane
Rogers chronicles the creation of a short story 56 Staying power,
with Safiya Robinson 57 Playing with poetry, with Sophie Herxheimer Career 59 The happy freelancer, with Sian MeadesWilliams 60 Proud to place,
with agent Juliet Pickering; My portfolio career 61 How to write a pitch letter, with Catherine Cho 62 Marketing for beginners: Roxie Key on four simple ways to promote a new book 64 Noticeboard Opportunities 66 Open for submissions; Insight: The Rubery
Book Award
67 Three of a kind:
wine magazines 68 Insight: The New
Voices Award 70 Insight: Liv
Maidment’s manuscript wishlist Off the page 71 The world’s wife;
Eyeverse 72 Letting go: Hayley
Frances on poetry performance and mourning 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: Away
With Words And finally 81 Lynne Truss’
bedside table 82 Submitting and subscribing to Mslexia c o n t e n t s
105
3 CONTENTS / Mslexia / Mar/Apr/May 2025
‘It’s interesting to see what happens when you have a higher profile, how certain doors magically open that were not open to you before.’ SILVIA MORENOGARCIA P23
The main learning points from this saga are blindingly obvious: a story needs a hook, suspense, and conflict JANE ROGERS P54
This has exposed hundreds of readers to my book and gained me some extra reviews online – and it didn’t cost me a penny ROXIE KEY P62
I believe there is a need for circle and social performance that runs deep in our psyche through evolution HAYLEY FRANCES P72
