Friday, April 17, 2009

Who knew the word "cozy" was pejorative?

You would, if you attended the Carolyn Hart and Margaret Maron lecture last night. According to the authors, describing American mysteries written by women as "Cozies" belittles the genre and reinforces the preconceptions of chauvinistic, misogynist editors who dominate the publishing business (or something to that effect). Again, who knew?

The authors were both entertaining and enlightening (one of them won The Order of the Long Leaf Pine). Of particular interest were their descriptions of how they became mystery writers, and the challenges that they have faced through their careers (see the above paragraph). Their humor and insight, and rather good questions from the audience made the night quite memorable. Many thanks to Carolyn Hart and Margaret Maron.

Look for more events in the upcoming issue of the Charleston Reader, and don't forget about the Southern Literary Festival on May 28-30. It will be loads of fun, and again, you need to be here!

Spring has been especially beautiful, and colder than normal, this year in Charleston. This season, above all others, makes me grateful to be a resident of the Lowcountry. There are far worse places to live, most of which are north of Virginia and west of Texas.

Read a book!

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