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Unread 06-09-2009, 06:19 PM
Eva Salzman Eva Salzman is offline
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And another excerpt with some facts:

"A snapshot of American anthologies shows us that The Best American Poetry anthologies (both 1989 & 2005), The Best of the Best American Poetry: 1988-1997, the Oxford Book of American Poetry eds. David Lehman (published in the UK but with an American editor) and the Vintagege Book of Contempoary World Poetry, ed. J.D. McClatchy, adhering to our glass ceiling model, have somewhat better figures than the following: British and Irish Poetry Since 1970 eds. Richard Caddel & Peter Quartermain - 10 women/45 men;; The New Naked Poetry eds. Stephen Berg and Robert Mezey – 3 women/23 men; New Lines anthologies ed. Robert Conquest 1956 - 1 woman/8 men, and 1963 - 1 woman/23 men. The figures above for women editors speak for themselves.
Naturally, these anthologies reflect their editors’ taste within the confines of what’s available from publishers in the first place. These figures are themselves at odds with those from the 1960’s onwards which show increasing numbers of women winning Gregory awards, this acknowledgement commonly regarded as a reliable and leading indicator of new talent. Women comprise two-thirds of the poetry-buying public and a majority of workshop attendees. Ad Nauseam. I hadn’t expected such appalling figures, but shouldn’t be so shocked at others’ lack of outrage.