Totally. That perception exists in the world of YA writing too. There are more female than male YA writers, editors and avid readers of fiction but you hear again and again that while girls will read books about male central characters boys aren’t interested in reading books with female main characters which sucks.

BTW, I love Norman’s piece but wish she had credited the authors of the NYSCA report — myself and Suzanne Bennett. It was a three-year study and it’s nice to be acknowledged. It’s especially important if you are talking about valuing the work of women.

My favorite point made by Norman was that many now feel the obligation to at least consider racial diversity in programming. It’s not ok to exclude people of color, according to funders etc. But somehow women are not part of the diversity/inclusion formula.

Finally, I wish we would stop quoting misinformation from Sands’ undergraduate thesis; the problem is not a paucity of submissions by women. Women and men submit at a far more equal ratio than she found, because the database and the rationale she used to determine her Infidns were highly inaccurate. Also plays are very rarely selected by submission.

Susan Jonas

People can’t believe that a WOMAN directed AMERICAN PSYCHO. Or how about Sarah Kane, the 1990s British playwright whose plays involved rape, cannibalism, and brutal violence.

But she’s right on another point– it’s our own fault for writing BORING plays. Such as Rebecca Gilman, who I f–king hate. Her plays are crap and many people think that female playwrights write like that.

Nobody wanna watch a Lifetime-ish play. and neither do I!