The latest episode of our podcast is now available for direct download and streaming from the website or via subscription from iTunes. Feedback is most welcome!

On this episode of The Writer and the Critic your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, open with a discussion about gender, publishing and awards, focused around the following articles:

• “Books About Women Don’t Win Big Awards” by Nicola Griffith (see also the follow-up post on this project)
• “Homme de Plume: What I Learned Sending My Novel Out Under a Male Name” by Catherine Nichols

They then move on to the two chosen books, The Godless by Ben Peek (31:55) and The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison (1:12:45).

The reviews, blogs and podcasts mentioned during the discussion can be found via the following links:

• Pembroke Lecture on Fantasy Literature by Kij Johnson (podcast)
• “The Godless by Ben Peek” reviewed on Pornkitsch
• “Book Review: The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison” by Ian Mond
• “Ending the World with Hope and Comfort” by Matthew Cheney

If you’ve skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:54:00 for final remarks.

For the next episode, Kirstyn has chosen Day Boy by Trent Jamieson while Ian is recommending Viper Wine by Hermione Eyre. Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

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