Thursday, March 4, 2010

Posted @ 11:22 GMT

three things

Today will be my last appearance on "Arts Brew", the Z103 Internet Radio Arts Show, at around 1.30pm. I'll be wrapping up the women and horror debate, and discussing forthcoming writers workshops in Ireland. I've enjoyed being on the show for the last four weeks, and it's certainly made me think a lot more about doing podcasts in the future.

I'd also like to point people to the blog of UK horror magazine, Black Static, where there is a constructive post on the issue of women in horror. It offers information about the female contributors to the magazine, statistics about the books the magazine receives for review and how many of them come from women authors. This is the kind of data that's actually useful to the debate.

Tomorrow I'm at P-Con in Dublin (the programme is now online), and I'm looking forward to meeting old friends and making new ones.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Posted @ 11:21 GMT

women in horror: a summary of recent posts

It's time for a summary of the reaction across the Internet to my recent posts about the lack of representation of women in the SFX horror edition.

As I mentioned last week David Barnett at the The Guardian blog brought up the issue immediately, and by the end of the week UK Feminist web site The F Word was running with the story.

Once I posted editor Ian Berriman's reply to my query, the response in the comments, on Internet articles and to me personally has been anger and frustration at the lack of knowledge displayed about women's participation in the horror industry.

As Cheryl Morgan put it, it was a classic case of "How Not to Apologize". Of course, to apologise is to admit fault, and Ian made it clear that he didn't think he did anything wrong. In an blog post called "Sticking My Nose In", Nicholas Whyte also neatly dissected the excuses Ian offered. And author Tansy Rayner Roberts also criticises SFX for making us the "(Invisible) Women of Horror".

Update: To get an idea of what women are faced with, check out the comments on Horror Squad's 'SFX' Magazine's Omission of Women in Horror post. They range from the typical "PC brigade" remarks, and the classic taunt that women are "whining" about being left out. Alison Nastasi shows commendable restraint in how she deals with these accusations. I'm constantly baffled why women are expected to stay silent about being ignored (which continues the problem), or are expected to resolve the problem quietly without any fuss? Both indicate that it is not right for us to object to an obvious oversight that isn't acknowledged by the magazine, and is refuted with the poorest of excuses.

Today director, journalist and editor-in-chief of Pretty/Scary, Heidi Martinuzzi, wrote the blog post "Did SFX Magazine Leave Out Women?", which is being picked up by news agencies.

Heidi is particularly well-informed about the horror film industry, and the huge number of women working in the field. I'm going to include an extensive quote from Heidi as she addresses the idea that there aren't that many female horror directors:

I want to point out that Berriman's journalist friend is wrong. There are over 600 - 1000 female horror directors, about 200 of whom have had horror films screened in theaters in the last 40 years and who have distributed their films on either VHS or DVD. There are dozens living and working in Los Angeles today, in NYC, and more located around the world including the UK, Australia, and in Asia. We just tend not to hear about them very much in any magazines or online, and when we do, they don't seem to be promoted to the same extant as male directors.

There is a reason that female filmmakers do not get the attention that male filmmakers in the horror genre get; because only actresses in horror are given any fan status by horror fans. I am not sure why this is. Actresses are invited to conventions, asked to appear in documentaries about women in horror, and in general are very well covered by horror magazines everywhere.

But it is the female directors like Mary Lambert, Katt Shea, Rachel Talalay, Sue Montford, Amanda Gusack, Anya Camilleri, Lola Wallace, Devi Snively, Gloria Katz, Jackie Kong, Barbara Peters, Stephanie Rothman, Roberta Findlay, Mary Harron, Marian Dora, Marina de Van, Jennifer Lynch, Claire Denis, and about 60-100 more I could rattle off the top of my head, who are not given the same respect by horror fans as their male counterparts.

You can attend any horror convention or read any horror magazine, and chances are you'll hear about George Romero, Wes Craven, Sean Cunningham, John Carpenter, and dozens more. But when was the last time you saw a female horror director invited to a convention as an official guest? Chances are you haven't. I've only seen one; Jennifer Lynch at the 2009 Fangoria Weekend of Horrors in Los Angeles.

Needless to say, it is clearly an issue of women in front of the camera being made out to be more important than the women behind the camera; even though the women do the same jobs the men do as directors and writers.

People might argue that this is because most horror fans are male and males enjoy looking at beautiful women while aspiring to be important men. But that doesn't gel when you see how many fans actually are women. Graze any horror web site's forums and you'll see that women enjoy horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and action films just as much as men do. Recent articles, like this one by Phil Boatwright, show that statistically, women are now leading over men in attendance in theaters for horror films.

So, if there ARE many female horror directors out there, (roughly 500 living and available today), and females ARE horror fans (as we define horror by Berriman's standards) then what is the issue? Are women who work behind the scenes in horror films just largely ignored because horror's subculture values physical visual performances from beautiful women on camera more than it values directorial or writing jobs by women? Yes. Horror also values the work men do as directors far more than women.

Magazines and websites that choose not to cover horror films directed by women in favor of equally-budgeted, equally-enjoyable horror films by men are making an editorial choice to shape not only their audience's beliefs about how many women direct horror films, but the overall persistent theory that women exist in horror only as actresses, and then, usually only as sexualized scream queens. Which simply isn't true, and frankly, is more than a little cheesy and juvenile.

How is it that no one on the SFX staff has Heidi's phone number or email address? After all, as horror author Alexandra Sokoloff said in a comment on my blog, all anyone has to do is to go to the web site of a female horror writer/director and submit a query via the contact form. Some of us do this regularly. As I pointed out in a previous entry, all you have to do is want to find them.

Alexandra also said: "We're all dying to talk about our genre with people who care about it."

Horror director Mary Lambert (Pet Semetery, Dark Path Chronicles) concurs. She emailed me once this story took off and said she would have been "happy" to offer a suggestion for the "Horror's Hidden Treasures" article.

There are no excuses for the omission of women.

The media needs to admit that, and do something to address the imbalance.

[Note: this blog is cross-posted to LiveJournal due to its large sf/horror community, and that journal also has a great deal of comments on it.]

Monday, March 1, 2010

Posted @ 17:46 GMT

a terrible treasure

I decided to pick a work to feature in a "Horror's Hidden Treasures" section of my own since SFX failed so spectacularly to ask women to promote an under-rated horror gem.

I'd encourage other women to do the same. There's no pressure to pick a woman's work, but I'm doing so because this writer hugely impressed me with her work.

Since the debacle last year about the lack of representation of women in horror I've been paying more attention to the subject. Even I was under-educated in the variety of women working in the field, but I'm hardly immune to a system that promotes men's fiction and accidentally forgets to give women's fiction equal attention.

The Women in Horror Recognition Month spurred me on to start addressing the imbalance in my own reading in advance of World Horror Convention. And believe me, there are a lot of works to read.

That's how I came to find and read the short story collection Kissing Carrion (Prime, 2003) by Gemma Files.

The horror genre is particularly suited to fearless writers who are unconcerned about smashing a few taboos in order to explore new and scary territory. Files is such an author. She demonstrates a deft touch with dialogue, her characters are instantly alive and complex--especially the screwed-up ones--and Files always take the story to its awful conclusion without sparing any details. It's never exploitative, but rather Files is dedicated to maintaining the integrity of her stories, no matter how difficult or strange the subject.

She attacks the perennial topics of horror - sex and death - with an intense prose style, unique scenarios, and an utter lack of inhibition. This all adds up to a short story collection that should be on the shelf of any serious horror aficionado.

The stand-out stories for me are: "Kissing Carrion", "Skeleton Bitch", "No Darkness but Ours", "Bear-Shirt", "The Diarist" and "Dead Bodies Possessed by Furious Motion". I was particularly taken by that last story, featuring a female vampire called Elder Tallbie, who is anarchic, lethal and scornful of living within the restrictions of the past. It was like watching a punk with a love of science fiction set loose to explode an Anne Rice novel. Except Files establishes the world and the character journey in the span of a short story.

Files has another collection out, The Worm In Every Heart (Prime, 2004), which I haven't read yet. It features "The Emperor's Old Bones", which won the 1999 International Horror Guild Award. Her first novel, A Book of Tongues, the beginning of the Hexslinger Series, will be available from CZP Publications next month.

I'm certainly looking forward to reading the novel, and I hope it gains Files a wider audience and deserved critical attention.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Posted @ 22:01 GMT

dear Alexandra

This blog post began as a reply to a comment made by horror writer and screenwriter, Alexandra Sokoloff, on my last blog entry, but got too long. It's probably best if you read that first before continuing with this entry.

I'll wait.

Back? Great. Here's what my couple of lines morphed into:

Dear Alexandra,

Thank you for your note, and I appreciate your kind comments. I'm currently reading your novel The Price, as I'm engaged in a drive to read as much horror by women as possible before World Horror Convention. That means getting books from a lot of different sources, especially since women's horror isn't easy to come by where I live in Ireland - although the paranormal romance/urban fantasy section is very well stocked, and I've read from that area too.

I know you're a screenwriter and have been very involved in the WGA in the USA. As it happens I'm trained as a screenwriter (not much joy there, but I'm plugging away), I've a background in student politics, and I work as a newsletter editor/blogger for the Irish Playwrights and Screenwriters Guild. I was the blogger for the World Conference of Screenwriters in Athens last November, and during the event I met some of your colleagues from the WGA.

That's a preamble to explain that advocacy is something that's dear to my heart. I love the horror genre, but I'm acutely aware of a power imbalance in it that is contributing to the "invisibiling" of women to the industry. I'm constantly being told by people a variation of "there aren't many women in horror", but when I do my research I discover the field is stuffed with them. It makes me want to belt out a Jamie Lee Curtis-style scream of frustration! Where does this perception come from?

Well, the lack of attention in the media is partly responsible. I was furious when I read the SFX horror magazine. The patent indifference and ignorance of women's work in the field is shocking.

Sure, we can all say it's an unconscious bias, but I'm at the point now where I find it inexcusable. Too many people have pointed it out. There have been conferences, essays, articles, and events about this. Too often we pat people on the back and say a variation on "It's not your fault, it's society's conditioning", and then nothing changes because they go away thinking "well, that's just how it is". Both the anonymous women Ian Berriman quoted to support the SFX horror edition said "it's not your fault," and one said "you're just reflecting the industry".

One thing can change: women must stop accepting the situation. I know from my student politics days and my work with the Guild that it's hard to motivate people to take action on issues like this. People let things like this slide all the time (if they notice it at all). They think it's not that important, someone else will do something, they're afraid it will damage their career, or they feel they're not qualified to speak up. But, nothing changes until people take a stand - for instance, the WGA's Writers Strike in 2007/2008.

The situation is not acceptable. It's really not. Women, and men who wish to support women, need to tell these publications that they are damaging the industry with this one-sided view.

I get distressed when I see fine, talented women writers being overlooked in genre media, because this leads to a terrible cycle of their work not getting sales, not getting re-published, not being nominated for awards, etc. And I know from my work in the Guild that women in theatre and film continue to face massive struggles to get their work produced. It's hugely disheartening to read the industry research on this matter, in fact.

I'm delighted Women in Horror Recognition Month was launched, because it's needed. I love seeing women standing up for themselves and promoting each other's work. If the genre media won't do it then women must start supporting each other. That's why women-focused horror web sites like Pretty-Scary.net and ZombieGrrlz are so fantastic.

At least the Internet allows this discussion to get attention, and it's a brilliant avenue for women horror writers to have their say. But still, the mainstream media leads the way, and the horror genre has been ignoring women for far too long. We need to correct them when they get it wrong, because otherwise it will never change.

Well, that's my philosophy anyway!

By the way, I loved your interview in the latest issue of Black Static. It was full of intelligent observation. That's the kind of positive attention more women in horror deserve to receive.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Posted @ 09:00 GMT

SFX responds: a long post

After a prompt from a friend I wrote to SFX on Sunday regarding my concerns about its Horror edition. Here is my email:

To whom it may concern,

I purchased the horror edition of SFX magazine at the weekend since I'm a fan of horror literature and media, and also write in the genre.

I was surprised at the lack of representation of women in the articles in the magazine.

In particular I was stunned by the "Horror's Hidden Treasures" piece. You found the time to query 34 men for their opinions, but neglected to ask even one woman to recommend an under-rated gem in the horror field.

Can you explain how this occurred? I'm sure female horror novelists, directors and screenwriters are equally curious, after all there are plenty of them in the genre, and I'm sure they would have been delighted to offer their suggestions.

Editor Ian Berriman claimed in his editorial that horror was "a broad church". Unfortunately, your magazine offers the skewed impression that only men are welcome at its services.

I look forward to your response.

Regards,

Maura McHugh
http://splinister.com

Yesterday morning Ian Berriman, the editor of the SFX horror edition, sent me the following response, which I'm posting "in full" per his request.

Thank you for your email.

I hope you’ll forgive me for opening on what is a very personal note.

It's somewhat dismaying to have the result of three months of hard work over evenings, weekends and holidays (SFX Collection: Horror was produced concurrently with my nine to five job on SFX) dismissed on the basis of a tally, especially when you’ve produced a horror magazine that does not rely on splashing half-naked pictures of blood-splattered women everywhere to garner sales. As methods of criticism go, I think that totting up the numbers of contributors or interviewees by category is very reductive, and not a reliable barometer of the politics, aims, or knowledge of the people involved.

I’d like to correct a couple of assumptions that, it seems to me, underpin your critique. Firstly, you don’t seem to consider that the features in the finished magazine might not have been the only ones we attempted to produce. To give you one example: I commissioned a five-page feature on Barbara Steele, which presumably would have ticked a box for you in terms of "alone-time in the spotlight". Regrettably, this had to be abandoned once we found out that she was not available for interview during her appearance at the Sitges film festival.

Your second assumption is that we didn't even consider approaching any women for the Hidden Treasures piece (you suggest they "do not register on SFX's horror criteria"). Actually there were several women on my mental "wish list" of possible contributors that, in the end, we didn’t contact, basically for reasons of time (establishing a new contact can be difficult). I also did put in a request for a "hidden treasure" from Sarah Pinborough (interviewed about her new book in the current issue of SFX, incidentally), as Gollancz can confirm, but unfortunately that came to nought - perhaps the forwarded-on emails went AWOL in cyberspace. Now, I’m not about to claim that one feature on a female actor and one "hidden treasure" from a female writer adds up to sufficient gender representation, but I did want to counter your suggestion of total and utter ignorance/indifference.

Next, I’d like to go into detail as to how it came about that we approached those particular 34 people for their "hidden treasures". Most of the directors and screenwriters were obtained by putting the word about to freelancers and asking them to suggest people from their address books who were likely to respond. My ideal criteria were that the interviewees should be: a. a director, screenwriter or novelist; b. strongly identified with horror (ie not a director who has dipped their toe into horror just the once); c. reasonably well known. I don’t believe I turned down any offers of interviews with women connected to horror cinema. What you can conclude from that, I don’t know. Perhaps that there aren’t that many prominent female horror directors/screenwriters. Perhaps that my freelancers don’t have many female industry contacts.

Secondly, I asked the question of a handful of people I was already interviewing for features elsewhere in the magazine.

Thirdly, I sent email requests to various authors, either directly or via their publishers. The aide-memoire I used to compile a wish list of authors was a document containing details of all the book reviews I have commissioned since issue 172 of SFX (the August 2008 edition). This includes details of many books received but not reviewed, as well as books reviewed. I went through this, looking for horror novels, and noting their authors. Only one name on the resulting list (Sarah Pinborough) was female. Having checked back, Alexandra Sokoloff should have been on that list as well, since we reviewed The Harrowing in issue 187 of SFX – her omission was an error on my part. Again, I’m not sure what conclusion you would draw from this. My conclusion is that we don’t seem to have been sent many horror novels by female writers in the last couple of years.

Or at least, not "horror" as I defined it for the purposes of SFX Collection: Horror. Which brings me to my next point. One comment on your blog, by "Harmsden" is representative of several, and worth addressing: "It's pretty bizarre with the current boom in sales of urban fantasy and paranormal romance, a boom dominated by women authors, that there's barely a mention of them in SFX's horror special". This commenter then goes on to partly answer their own question by adding "(though attention was paid to them in their Vampire special a couple of months back.)" This is true. Indeed, I'm the person who supplied the names of various authors of urban fantasy to the editor of that special, suggesting that we interview them.

I made an editorial decision not to cover this literary subgenre in SFX Collection: Horror for three reasons, none of which were anything to do with gender. Firstly, to create some clear blue water between the Horror and Vampire specials (and any future, similarly-themed specials). Secondly, because urban fantasy is getting plenty of coverage at the moment, and I wanted to shine a light on some other areas. Thirdly, because I don't believe these books to be "horror" in the strictest sense - and I know that a great many horror fans, regardless of gender, share this view. They may employ the tropes of vampires, werewolves etc, but their primary aim is not to terrify (or chill). Obviously, the definition of horror is open to debate, and no 100% water-tight definition is even possible, but given that we gave paranormal romance plenty of coverage in another recent special, I think you might understand why I came to this decision.

Other names of potential subjects/interviewees for SFX Collection: Horror are also proposed in the comments section on your blog. I'm aware of Ellen Datlow's fine work, of course , but I didn't contact her for the same reason that I didn't request a Hidden Treasure from Stephen Jones during our email correspondence on World Horror Con: she's an editor, not a director, screenwriter or novelist. That may make me prejudiced against anthology editors (sorry, anthology editors!), but not against women. Three other names proposed are all actors (in films which, with respect, I doubt the average SFX reader has heard of), so again, they do not fit the criteria. Kathryn Bigelow is the strongest suggestion, but while she did occur to me, I didn’t attempt to chase a quote from her: she has only directed one horror film, and certainly wouldn't self-identify as a "horror director", and I judged the chances of getting a quote from the director of The Hurt Locker about her favourite obscure horror movie as extremely slim.

One of my first actions after reading your blog post was to consult a couple of female horror fans, to seek their opinion. Both have given me permission to quote their email responses. Their reactions suggest to me that while it may be a shame that more works involving women weren’t represented in SFX Collection: Horror, the most likely explanation is not egregious male chauvinism, but the under-representation of women in horror for historic reasons beyond the control of SFX. The instant response of my partner (who considers herself a feminist) was as follows: "The fact that the most famous people in horror are men is not the magazine's fault. And it isn't the mag's agenda to be promoting one way or another." A female freelancer who specialises in horror journalism responded in similar terms: "It's not your fault; you're just reflecting the industry. There just aren't that many female horror directors. There aren't even that many female horror fans, come to that."

Having said all this, I do agree with you that it was very unfortunate that we didn’t include any quotes from female writers or directors, an oversight which arose because the list of interviewees grew organically over a period of months, and at no time did I step back to look at it in gender terms. I’m always eager to learn, and happy to have gaps in my knowledge filled. It may be that there are female horror writers/directors that we could and should have gone the extra yard to contact who simply aren’t on my radar, and who really should be. I’d be genuinely grateful to hear any suggestions you have for future interviewees. If we do produce another horror-themed special in the future, I may well run a second Hidden Treasures feature, which would give us the opportunity to correct this oversight.

Yours

Ian Berriman
Editor, SFX Collection: Horror

It's useful Ian has engaged with the issue, and his last paragraph indicates that at least he's going to pay attention to the matter in the future.

I can appreciate what it's like when you put a lot of work into a project, and it appears like someone is picking it apart. Yet, SFX touts itself as a leading industry magazine, and it's fair to expect it to present a full picture of what's going on in horror at the moment, rather than a partial view.

I can only judge the magazine on what was presented, rather than what was planned. It's a shame that the Barbara Steele article fell through, but that leaves little else in the magazine to hint that women are active or contributing to the genre.

In particular there is no excuse for the absence of women in the "Horror Hidden Treasures" article. It would have been better if Ian just owned up to the mistake. Anyone can forgive an oversight. The excuses offered only compound the error.

I'm told emails between Ian and Sarah Pinborough went astray and were never discovered, and he just plain forgot to contact Alexandra Sokoloff.

What am I and these women expected to make of that?

SFX can hardly expect me to cut it some slack because it failed to contact two women over the course of three months, but in the same period managed to collect responses from 34 men.

I see Ian examined the comments on my blogs and dismisses a number of names people suggested. I don't believe any of the commenters were attempting to offer a comprehensive list of alternatives, but were merely making general points. Perhaps if he'd taken the time to read back some entries he'd have seen a more complete list of women horror writers on my post in September when this subject came up the first time.

It might appear great that Ian wants suggestions of women horror creators for future interviews, but I'm surprised I need to educate Ian and his staff about which women are working in the field.

Surely, as experts in the genre, they should be aware of them already?

Women horror writers are plentiful. A simple Internet search will find them. There is no secret hideout or handshake necessary. You just need to want to find them.

I've heard arguments before about what constitutes "real" horror, "real" science fiction, "real" fantasy, etc. It's nearly always the preamble used to exclude a group for some abstract reason. Not all women who write urban fantasy write about vampires either.

To give an indication of the variety of female voices in the horror field, here is a small sample of authors SFX could have contacted (leaving out the urban fantasy genre):

Tanith Lee, Sarah Pinborough, Alexandra Sokoloff, Lynda E Rucker, Caitlin R Kiernan, Allyson Bird, Gemma Files, Sarah Langan, Lisa Morton, Elizabeth Hand, Helen Oyeyemi, M. Rickert, Margo Lanagan, Sarah Pinborough, Tananarive Due, Sara Gran, Cherie Priest, Rhodi Hawk, Fran Friel, Lisa Tuttle, Melanie Tem, Chelsea Qunn Yarbro, Mary SanGiovanni, Nancy Kilpatrick, Kathe Koja, Susan Hill, Pat Cadigan, Sarah Monette. Barbara Roden, Kaaran Warren, Joyce Carol Oats, Mo Hayder, Ekaterina Sedia, Elizabeth Massie and Debbie Gallagher.

My apologies to those I've missed: it's because there are so many of you!

Tanith Lee is the Guest of Honour at next month's World Horror Convention for instance, and many of the women on this list will be attending the convention.

I'm troubled by Ian's assertion that SFX must not have been sent women's horror novels to review. I would urge women horror writers to contact their publishers and their marketing departments to check if SFX is getting their books.

On the issue of women horror directors: figures from the USA indicate only 7% of directors are women, so the field is smaller. Women directors tend to work in other genres rather than exclusively in horror. I suspect that's because they go where they can get the work, because it's damn hard for female directors.

Women screenwriters comprise about 12% of the industry in the USA, so the same issues apply as with directors.

I'm amused by the criteria that demanded the directors and screenwriters pass a loyalty test to the horror genre. Especially since the horror genre has been failing recently to show any commitment to its female horror creators and fans.

Yet, women horror screenwriters and directors are hardly non-existent. Here are some who could have been contacted:

Catherine Hardwicke, Nora Zuckerman, Mary Harron, Sue Montford, Amanda Gusack, Karen Walton, Mary Lambert, Marti Noxon, Katt Shea, Karyn Kusama, Rachel Talalay, Heidi Martinuzzi, Tanya Huff, Devi Snively, Gloria Katz, Jackie Kong, Kerry Anne Mullaney, Anya Camilleri, Lola Wallace, Jane Espenson, Barbara Peters, Stephanie Rothman, Roberta Findlay, Diablo Cody, Marian Dora, Marina de Van, Jennifer Lynch, Claire Denis and Julie Siege.

I must address the opinions of the two anonymous women Ian quoted to support his magazine. I was unhappy they weren't named. Since I was objecting to the erasure of women from the horror genre using unnamed women to support the magazine's case seemed inappropriate.

First: the comment, "The fact that the most famous people in horror are men is not the magazine's fault. And it isn't the mag's agenda to be promoting one way or another."

Some of the women I've listed are famous, and that's what makes it all the more incomprehensible that SFX didn't know about them.

It leads on to a good question: why are more men famous in the genre than women? How does that happen? There's the simple fact that there are more male horror writers (if you exclude paranormal romance and urban fantasy). Nobody disputes that.

But, it certainly doesn't help if magazines like SFX forget to promote women. This is not a problem just in horror. This is a widespread issue. But, when the entire editorial, writing staff and art team on a magazine are men, it's easy for an unconscious bias to slip into articles, or to forget to include women entirely.

I've proven there are plenty of women in the field, so it's not the case that they're not producing work. And if it's not SFX's job to address a skewed balance, then whose job is it? How is this going to change?

I would have thought magazines like SFX would be keen to highlight writers/directors/screenwriters who are marginalised. I would have thought this was an opportunity to showcase new work and ensure the genre remained vital.

I'm saddened by the second comment: "It's not your fault; you're just reflecting the industry. There just aren't that many female horror directors. There aren't even that many female horror fans, come to that."

First, there's an implication that SFX is somehow not a part of the industry, or that its choice of material has no effect upon the perceptions of the readers/editors/publishers/producers/authors/directors who read it.

Second, the existence of women directors is disputed.

Worst of all, the existence of women horror fans is called into question.

That last statement is simply infuriating. I attend horror film festivals, genre events, and conventions. I can assure Ian's unnamed female supporter that there are many, many women horror fans. I'm amazed that an editor of a genre magazine would go so far as to repeat this opinion.

If this is the attitude at SFX then it is no surprise that no one on its staff can discover the phone number or email address of a woman working the horror industry.

I'm going to end on a personal note, since Ian started on one.

All my life I've defended the horror genre. I love it, read it, view it, think about it and write it. When I was a kid I was made feel weird because I liked it. As an adult I've also received my fair share of ridiculous questions about my interest in the genre. I've been a friend and advocate of horror my entire life.

So it's a heartbreak every time the genre doesn't support women.

It's okay for us to buy the books, movies, merchandise and magazines, but somehow it's crazy for us to expect acknowledgement of our existence when we participate in the field.

Women are told we don't belong in the genre for reasons not determined by us, we're ignored and then attacked when we raise an objection, we're informed we don't exist in significant numbers to matter, and we're often patronised about what good intentions everyone has but somehow it rarely translates into any significant change.

Women need to be more vocal about this issue. It might seem bizarre to have to ask for fair representation in the year 2010, but nothing will change if we remain silent.

In fact, it's tacit agreement to our exclusion.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Posted @ 11:33 GMT

p-con schedule

The science fiction convention P-Con is being held in Dublin next week, and the programme of events has been released. Here are the panels I'll be on:

Saturday

10:00 Red Room
Is it time for "Return of the Werewolves"?
Nick Harkaway; Brian J. Showers; Laura Anne Gilman; Maura McHugh; R.F.Long

15:00 Blue Room
Social websites: Bane or boon in the genre fiction world?
Cheryl Morgan; Colin Harvey; Colin Smythe; Maura McHugh; Laura Anne Gilman

17:00 Red Room
Pictionary

Sunday

12:00 Blue Room
Keyboard or pen - Room for both?
R.F.Long; Oisín McGann; Maura McHugh

14:00 Blue Room
Has the Internet become indispensable?
Cheryl Morgan; Bob Neilson; R.F. Long; Maura McHugh

Also, I'll be chatting on the "Arts Brew" programme on the Z103 Internet Radio again today, around 1.40pm. I'll be discussing the issue I raised about the under-representation of women in the horror industry, although this is not a problem unique to horror. Women are under-represented across the Arts, and there is even a movement in theatrical circles to try and address this. It will be my third appearance on "Arts Brew", and I've been enjoying the experience so far.

There has been some linkage to my blog post regarding the SFX Horror edition, as well as a post by David Barnett at the Guardian blog.

I wrote a short query to the magazine about the matter, and I received a note from
Editor Ian Berriman last night saying he wanted to take the time to give me a considered response. So, I'm looking forward to reading that.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Posted @ 23:08 GMT

SFX forgets women in horror

It's ironic that during Women in Horror Recognition Month I have to draw attention yet again to another major publication that has a blind spot when it comes to women in horror.

Five months ago I was irked when the British Fantasy Society published a collection of interviews of horror writers that omitted women. A minor Internet outrage ensued, which died down with the society's quick and honest apology. Naïvely, I thought maybe a lesson had been learned.

This month the British magazine SFX published a special edition devoted to Horror that overlooks women almost entirely.

In his opening words editor Ian Berriman says:

"You see, some people think horror is a limited one-dimensional genre, but I don't see it that way. Horror is a broad church. It encompasses everything from the classy chillers produced by Val Lewton through to the likes of Saw and Hostel. It comes in an almost infinite variety of forms, and I love nearly every single one of them."

Except those created by women, it seems.

There are 132 pages in the Horror edition, and a chunk of that consists of advertisements. There are a variety of features, from the usual "Top 20 Villains" (the only female is Sadako from The Ring), items about new movies, and specials like a piece on Spanish horror cinema, and an overview of the British horror anthologies: the Pan Book of Horror Stories series (at least in that article Fay Woolf's story "Slowly" gets a nod). Belgian filmmaker Hélène Cattet gets a deserved tip of the hat in the "Amer Time!" article about Amer, the film she co-directed with Bruno Forzani.

Actress Ingrid Pitt is the only woman in the magazine with any alone-time in the spotlight: half a page in the "My Life in Horror" section.

I doubt I would have noticed a bias in the SFX horror edition if it wasn't for the seven-page article "Horror's Hidden Treasures" smack in the centre of the magazine. That was when I realised women did not register on SFX's horror criteria.

In the article the magazine asked 34 directors, screenwriters and authors to name an obscure or under-rated cult horror that deserved better recognition.

Yup, you guessed it, not a single woman was asked for her opinion.

Of the 34 men interviewed, only one of them, Toby Whithouse, suggested a woman's work (Kit Whitfield's Bareback) as deserving attention.

I'm sure each of those individual men responded with his favourite, under-rated horror gem, and none of them were attempting to exclude women.

However, the overall picture presented to the reader is that women's work in horror does not rate with men, if they are aware of it at all.

What's embarrassing, unprofessional and shameful is that SFX - by dumb oversight or thoughtlessness - did not seek women's opinion for the article.

This does matter. SFX purports to be "The leading science fiction, fantasy and horror magazine", and this omission is indicative of a pervasive indifference toward women in the genre.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Posted @ 12:53 GMT

Seamus Online

Nobel Prize-winning Irish poet, Seamus Heaney, is giving a reading today at 1.05pm at the National Gallery in Dublin, organised by Poetry Ireland.

Fear not, the event is being broadcast live over the Internet, so you can watch and listen from anywhere in the world.

At times like this I must add: technology rocks!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Posted @ 12:45 GMT

talking arts

I'll be interviewed this afternoon, around 1.30pm, by Claire O'Mahony, as part of an arts programme on an Internet radio.

We'll be discussing the arts and its relationship with the Internet, although I believe Claire will be quizzing me a little about writing horror as well.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Posted @ 23:58 GMT

die die die die die die

Continuing the topic of Women in Horror Recognition Month, I want to pivot the lens towards a fantastic little animated short film called "Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty", which was written by Kathleen O'Rourke and directed by Nicky Phelan. O'Rourke also provides the voice acting for Granny O'Grimm herself.

The piece is delightfully animated, switching from 3D to 2D as Granny narrates her version of the opening of Sleeping Beauty as a bedtime story for her less-than-enthusiastic granddaughter.

Initially I thought the ending rather abrupt, until I listened properly to the words of Granny's lullaby, which accompany the finishing credits.

What I like most about this little piece is that it accurately reflects the gruesomeness that lurks behind most fairy tales. Grumpy, crotchety old ladies with magical powers are not the kind of person you want to annoy, especially when you've got better muscle tone, and didn't invite them to a swanky party.

The short has been nominated for an Academy Award in the "Short Film (Animated)" category, and if you'd like to watch it, stop by the Irish Film Board's Media Hub, where you can see all six-minutes of it.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Posted @ 17:57 GMT

monstrous women are rarely rewarded

I've been meaning to write something for Women in Horror Recognition Month, which is a campaign to promote women who work within the horror genre during the month of February.

I'm going to look at two films that I think deserve some attention and discussion: Ginger Snaps (2000) and Jennifer's Body (2009). These two films serve as a useful balance, since the first is smart and thought-provoking, while the second is interesting but muddled.

Ginger Snaps is based on a story by Karen Walton and John Fawcett, the screenplay was written by Walton, and directed by Fawcett. It's a film about two sisters, Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) and Brigette (Emily Perkins), who don't fit in at school due to their death obsession and Goth tendencies. They are on the cusp of puberty, and therefore an interest in boys is beginning to impinge upon their intense friendship. Ginger is bitten by a werewolf just as she begins to menstruate, and she starts to change in literal and metaphoric ways. Brigette tries to protect her sister as Ginger becomes more predatory and lost within her lycanthrope self. Brigette eventually attempts to forge a path between being a werewolf and being human, while stopping her sister's attacks.

The film does not make any apologies for placing a tricky issue like female puberty at its centre. The werewolf is both a metaphor for the physical transformation (hair growth, strange appetites and smells) and the emotional roller coaster triggered by the onset of menstruation: mood swings, hormonal imbalances, etc. The obviousness of the metaphor is not a problem for me: this film glories in having a subject that is normally taboo galloping about on the screen tearing chunks out of people. Menstruation - that hidden, messy issue that we discuss in euphuisms (the film's logline is "She's got the curse") - is central to the film, partnered with the uncomfortable issue of coping with a young woman's burgeoning sexuality. Most films are concerned about controlling women's sexual appetite, and what makes Ginger so dangerous is that she has the strength to carry out her lethal desires. As she says: "I'm a goddamn force of nature. I feel like I could do just about anything."

Of course, A Company of Wolves (1984), co-written by Neil Jordan and Angela Carter (based on her The Bloody Chamber stories) also tackled the werewolf/puberty angle in relation to a female character, but in it lycanthropy was mostly a male force. Although, this disjointed, dreamy, fairytale film is well worth watching, and is another favourite of mine.

Ginger and Brigette are complex characters brought to life with convincing performances by the actresses. There is a split of the sexy versus nerdy sister, but not in a simplified fashion - both Ginger and Brigette are appealing and never dismissed based on their appearance. The film is also horrific, in the proper sense of the word, with Brigette having to make a terrible decision by the end of the film. This is a horror film with women at its bloody centre, without compromise or rescue by men. Ginger and Brigette are in it together (forever) and resolve it together. It foregrounds the intense love/hate relationship of sisters, which is rarely represented in films with any gritty truth.

What's baffling is that Karen Walton, who wrote a superior horror screenplay (far, far better than most of the drek I suffer through on a regular basis), has not written another feature script since this one. She has written television movies and series, but no more horror. I notice that John Fawcett on the other hand has directed plenty of genre television and at least one feature film since Ginger Snaps. The film won eight international awards - including a writing award for Walton - and spawned a sequel and a prequel. I would easily place Ginger Snaps in my top five werewolf movies. Usually, screenwriters who produce such early, critically-successful work are rewarded with more work in feature films, but not in this case. Perhaps Walton did not want to continue to work within the horror genre, and that is certainly a pity.

Jennifer's Body was written by Diablo Cody and directed by Karyn Kusama, and attracted a certain amount of attention because Cody just won the Oscar for Juno, and the film's star, Megan Fox, was hotly lusted after by a new generation of teenaged boys thanks to her role in the Transformer films. I do not say these things as negatives - hardly. It's rare for a film written and directed by women to get any early heat, so it's great when it happens. Cody and Kusama were vocal in their ambitions to make an interesting female-centric horror film (well documented in the film's Wikipedia entry). In this regard I find that a pity, because for me the film falls short of its supposed feminist ambitions.

The story revolves around the relationship between Jennifer (Fox) and Needy (Amanda Seyfried), who have been best friends for their entire lives despite the fact that Jennifer is popular and attractive, and Needy is nerdy and plain. They live in the small town of Devil's Kettle, and attend a typical High School together. An indie band visit the local bar, burn it down, and take away Jennifer to sacrifice to Satan in exchange for fame and glory on the mistaken assumption that she's a virgin. Because Jennifer is not a virgin she is possessed by a Succubus and must slaughter and eat a man every month to maintain her demonic abilities (which are never properly detailed). This change means that Needy must end up putting a stop to her best friend's appetites.

This is a film with good intentions, and it's well put together, however there are a couple of narrative difficulties that hamper it. The film begins with a flash forward so we meet Needy after the main events so she is already transformed. When Jennifer is taken away by the band we don't see what happened to her initially, but it's explained by Jennifer in flashback later on. It drains that scene of any horror, and allows it to play out as humour. But, for me the most difficult part in the film is the one-dimensionality of Jennifer's character. We know nothing about her parents, or her background, other than she's hot. I disliked the fact that Seyfried's character was named Needy - that level of explicit characterisation doesn't work for me without some exegesis of the fact in the film itself.

Plus, there's the fact that because Jennifer was sexually active she's turned into a demon when she's sacrificed - yet the boy band still get their fame and fortune from the Devil. That's the reward for having sex: even Satan sees you as a whore. I was also rolling my eyes during the scene when Needy's boyfriend - who is almost dead from blood loss - somehow manages to pick up a pole and impale Jennifer upon it, thus saving Needy.

Needy's first line in the film "Hell is a teenage girl," on the surface has that somewhat cool ring to it, but ultimately it offers no strategy for negotiating the difficult waters of teenaged life, except ingesting the blood of a demon so you get wicked super powers and you too can kill people. There is no sense of cost, or of price (there is always a price). Needy's Mom shows hints of being an interesting character, but she's not given enough spotlight, and vanishes midway through the film.

I've read some criticism of Fox's portrayal of Jennifer, but I think she acted exactly in character: as a self-absorbed, pretty and selfish young woman. Seyfriend plays the part well of the sassy, nerdy kid that must step out of the shadow of her more popular friend, but there is little here I haven't seen before.

I liked that most of Jennifer's victims seem to be quite nice guys, but there is no sympathy for Jennifer in the film. She is a monster, who was made this way against her will, but she embraces the super power nature of her change without any niggling doubts of conscience. She only sees the power given to her by men (via the boy band, courtesy of Satan) of her killer looks and smart-bomb breasts. When she begins to lose her looks by the end of the month she's only too pleased to kill a boy to recover her superficial power. After all, if she's not pretty she might as well be dead.

There's not much horror in Jennifer's Body. There are a few scenes which show potential for frisson: such as Needy having hallucinations about Jennifer's attack while Needy is having sex with her boyfriend. This strange supernatural connection between the two friends is barely described, and never fully ultilised. I didn't have a problem with the kiss between the two girls, but wish it was played for real effect with an actual impact upon the characters.

One of the problems for women who write and direct is that they carry the weight of expectation upon their shoulders. Women are still in the minority in the industry, so much so that the fact is always commented upon. This year director Kathryn Bigelow was the first woman to win the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures from the Directors Guild of America, and it's likely she will win the Oscar for Best Director next month - only the third woman to be nominated and the first to win (I hope). We're in the twentieth-first century, folks. This should not be so rare!

Hopefully, we will come to a time when there are so many films made by women that we will be allowed to fail, or do a passable job, without it also being some commentary upon our gender's ability as writers/directors. Cody and Kusama tripped up on the very tropes of the horror genre that they claimed they would comment upon. If anything they played along with the stereotypes rather than trying to examine what lies beneath the artefacts. It shows either an unfamiliarity with the genre, or a hesitation to push the genre hard enough. In the latter regard perhaps they were being astute, and realised that female filmmakers who transgress boundaries in films are rarely rewarded.

Let's not forget that very early in her career Bigelow directed (and co-wrote) the excellent vampire flick Near Dark (1987), which was an atypical vampire film for its time. What kudos did she receive for that? She has barely put a foot wrong in her long and well-judged career, and yet has almost never had the backing of a studio (most of her films were financed independently). Only now is she receiving the recognition that she's deserved for so long.

When women finally attain a level playing field (and we're not on it yet) it will be thanks to the hard work of those like Bigelow, who pushed for opportunities, took risks and refused to be pigeon-holed despite the weight of the industry's indifference.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Posted @ 13:05 GMT

podcasts and plans

The podcast of my story, "The Tamga" is now available as issue 178 on Pseudopod, read by the talented Cheyenne Wright.

It's always a thrill to have my work podcast, because it gets it out to such a wide audience. Plus, the Pseudopod team produce excellent recordings. Cheyenne does a great job with the story. He's not only a talented voice actor, he's also the colourist for the fabulous web comic Girl Genius, which is one of my personal favourites.

My own graphic novel project, Róisín Dubh, is proceeding well. Last week I had a meeting in Dublin with Rob Curley of Atomic Diner and Sub City fame, as well as the artist for the project, Stephen Daly. It was great to sit down and strategise on the project.

At the moment the plan is to produce a 10-page teaser for March, with the graphic novel appearing mid-year. This will be useful since I'm attending P-Con in early March, followed by a double-header of conventions a few weeks later: World Horror Convention in Brighton, and Eastercon (Odyssey 2010) in glamorous Heathrow, London.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Posted @ 14:32 GMT

news for the new year

Welcome 2010: minty-fresh and full of hope.

I've some news I've been sitting on for no good reason, other than my motivation for blogging suffered a sap across the forehead late last year.

In December I sold the audio right to my story "The Tamga" to Pseudopod. I'm delighted I'll soon have another story up among their fine catalogue of spoken works. "The Tamga" was originally published in issue 6 of Shroud Magazine.

My story, "The Secret Names of Buildings" is now available in M-Brane SF, issue 12, which is guest edited by Rick Novy. It's another of my Clarion West stories, and this was written for week 6, when the brilliant sf writer Vernor Vinge was our mentor. Vernor was a splendid teacher - he had enough enthusiasm for science and technology to power a continent.

Róisín Dubh, the graphic novel I'm collaborating on, has been quietly powering along. The artist for the project is Stephen Daly, and I've recently seen the first page of artwork, which is excellent.

Writing for comics has been an unexpected joy, and it is made better by working with a talented artist like Stephen. I can't wait to see how it develops.

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Posted @ 16:58 GMT

coming out of darkness

I've never neglected my blog for such a long time - although I continue to chatter on Twitter - but the last quarter of 2009 has been a period of stressful work deadlines followed by a string of difficulties that rendered me mute. I should note that it was not terrible all the time, because to indicate otherwise would be to present a one-sided picture of recent months.

Life is a mixture of good and bad moments, although we tend to under-appreciate the good and over-emphasise the bad.

So, I'm bidding 2009 farewell with a grateful heart that I've survived its tests, and with an appreciation of those friends and family who helped me endure the trials.

I don't want to end this post on a down note, but equally I must mention that my greatest shock this year was the death of my friend Rob Holdstock at the end of November.

I've known Rob for about fourteen years, and since 2001 I've maintained his web site. I offered to set it up and run it because I thought a writer of his stature should not be without a presence on the Internet, and I knew Rob found technological issues a bit of a frustration and struggle.

I valued our rambling phone calls very much, even when I had to nicely berate him for not sending me information often enough. This year I'd completely redesigned his site so it would be easier for him to post his own entries without too much intervention from me. He was delighted by this facility, and the first post in which he braved the technological challenge turned out to be his last. I had spoken to him a week or so before he was suddenly struck down and hospitalised.

My own life was in chaos at that point because of unprecedented flooding in the West of Ireland. I'd had to abandon my house because the only accessible road to my home was rapidly flooding out. I was receiving daily updates on Rob's condition while I stayed with my Mother-in-Law, during a weekend in which I was supposed to be attending WexWorlds - a new fantasy / science fiction festival aimed at young people - but had to cancel due to the lack of any viable route.

Despite Rob's grim condition I never imagined he would die. He was a man who was in love with life, and liked nothing better than inviting it around to a table heaving with food and drink and the company of good friends.

I associate Rob with laughter, long conversations about music, literature, travel, food and poetry, and always laughter. He was not a saint - none of us are - but his flaws were always forgotten once you were in his generous and upbeat presence.

And in the same moment I think of Rob I always think of Sarah, his partner: a wonderful pair, complementing each other, both caring and good-natured.

The news of his death seemed impossible; a hammer blow that set the world off its axis. It could not be right that he was gone.

And yet, there was work to be done: a notice for his web site (which crashed due to the massive spike in traffic, and had to be fixed), liasing with Sarah and Rob's good friend Roy on further updates, and monitoring and approving the comments on the web site, which were under moderation.

Due to another problem that arose - my dog injured both legs in a short period of time and had to have surgery - I was housebound and unable to travel to London for his service, which was a different sorrow.

Yesterday, I finally updated his biography on this web site to indicate this death. This was something I found impossible to do initially. I've added a Tributes section, in which the lovely memories and reminiscences of his family and friends - prepared for his service in December - are collected for prosperity. A Memorial Fund has been set up with the Woodland Trust, and I can't think of a better way to mark his life and work by celebrating his abiding love of the woods. It's already accrued over £1,000 and hopefully it will reach the point where it will be enough to dedicate an acre of woodland to him.

In the days after his death I was seized by an impulse to write a poem for him that reflected him and evoked his work. Rob and I discussed poetry a lot, which was great since I knew few other writers who were receptive to it. I remember his wonderful enthusiasm for one of my published short stories I was bold enough to send him, and his praise for a poem that had been published online. He was unfailing supportive of my writing.

There is a reason it has taken me so long to write this: it is painful to think of him in the past.

Here is the poem I wrote. I think Rob would have liked it, and perhaps it is through the realm of the creative work that we can connect again.

For Rob

Not Ryhope or England
but these ancient woods
record history.
They delve deep,
roots spearing ribs
of farmers, kings and mystics
to absorb magic and folly.
Their weighty boughs
are Nature's styluses;
sometimes they skip grooves
as the breeze shakes
the oak and rowan,
to carry...
     the chant of old songs;
     the sigh of lovers' lies;
     the bright clang of battle.

I struggle through
soaked foliage,
thick, soupy earth -
wet from winter's deluge -
chasing a ghost.

A splash; a horse's neigh.
A woman -
her face masked,
her eyes pitiless with mercy -
knees her horse toward me
through tendrils of ivy.

"Where is he?" I ask

Her tanned, calloused hand
chops to the gateway
between pillars of stone,
beyond a still, silvered pool.

The trees sway.
They fan the echo of a hearty laugh,
as familiar as breath.

I surge forward,
but she urges her horse
between me
and the way.
I glare threats;
she, implacable,
flicks mud from her thigh.

Above, a hawk shrieks,
and we both squint up
at its shadow crossing the sun,
ecstatic with prey.

The Rider salutes, turns,
crests through the gate,
and a mist gathers after.

When it thins out
from the promise of sunlight,
the passage is gone.

I sit and listen.
The branches sweep
and play the past.

In the woods
I will remember him,
until the Rider returns.

In memoriam: Rob Holdstock (1948 - 2009)