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At Romance Writers of America Conference, Attendees Share Favorite Books (and Dispel Stereotypes)


“I stole my first romance novel from my mom. She saw me reading it and freaked out, because nobody should have to explain an orgasm to a five-year-old,” remembers Seattle-based author Olivia Waite. Decades later, her interest hasn’t faded. Waite is one of around 1,900 people in attendance at the Romance Writers of America conference in New York and among her people.

RWA is the largest annual meet-up for professional romance writers in the world, and the association behind it boasts more than 9,000 members, hundreds of whom make a point to attend its signature event. Because as Alabaman writer Louisa Cornell—who has been to 12 conferences—puts it, “Being a writer can be a very lonely job, especially with romance. This genre is picked apart and looked down on. When it’s a situation where it’s a lonely business, and you’re looked down on for what you write, being able to be with your tribe is very important.”

That sense of camaraderie makes the event feel more like a Panhellenic conference than a traditional work requirement. One woman—a doctor with aquamarine hair—trekked from Toulouse, France, just to be there. In another corner, two women set up shop on the floor, and, over pizza, explained that they’d met at a previous conference and had spent the past 12 months co-writing a romance series together. Seasoned veterans were quick to spot orange ribbons on attendees’ badges, an indication it’s the wearer’s first time, to help bring them into the fold.

Tom Smarch Photography

For these women, who often experience online harassment and are subjected to crude or dismissive assessments of their work, the chance to connect with writer and fans, judgment-free, is a welcome change. “I had a friend of my sister’s ask her how I could write romance novels even though I’m single,” recalls novelist Rebecca Connolly, who had come to New York from Indiana. The comment stung, but she’s used to the criticism. “People think if you write romance novels you’re silly, you’re writing ‘mom porn,’ or you’re setting everyone up for unrealistic expectations. It’s sad because it completely belittles our craft, which we put a lot of work and heart into it.” Jen Geigle Johnson, Connolly’s Denver-based writing partner and roommate at RWA, has also experienced this. “It’s a feminist issue,” Johnson says. “Romance is viewed as a ‘women’s genre,’ which is why it’s downplayed, but the imagery can be just as beautiful as a ‘literary work,’ even though you’re writing a love story.”

It can also be life-changing. While Waite, for example, started off her reading traditional, heteronormative romance stories, she soon decided to check out queer and lesbian literature, sometimes known as F/F in the genre. “I wanted to read more inclusively across sexuality and racial lines. Then I read F/F, and it was like staring into a mirror,” Waite says. She came out as bisexual, and has dedicated herself to writing within the sub-genre. “I wanted to write F/F novels because I wasn’t seeing enough of them in stores. It feels so magical to get more queer romance voices out there, because there’s a real divide between the lesbian romance presses and the mainstream ones.”

At Romance Writers of America Conference Attendees Share Favorite Books
Tom Smarch Photography

“There are young girls who are having a tough time with abusive boyfriends, who read young adult romance and see there’s a way out. There are older ladies who are widowed and read romance about women their age and realize there’s happiness still out there,” Cornell adds. “I wish people knew how much people’s lives are saved by these novels. Because there’s nothing better than laughing at a romantic comedy who’s just as clumsy, or spunky, as you are.”

Ready to dive into the happy endings? Read on for some of the RWA members’ favorite romance novels of all-time.



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Best Books Written by Women, According to Female Writers


Virginia Woolf. Toni Morrison. Judy Blume. Maya Angelou. Harper Lee. The influence women writers have had on our culture is immeasurable. They’ve brought us The Handmaid’s Tale, Big Little Lies, even Harry Potter. So to whittle down to just one all-time favorite book written by a female author is nearly an impossible task. But in honor of International Women’s Day, we put some of our favorite writers and creators to the test: We asked women like Gillian Jacobs, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Paula McLain to share their most beloved titles, and the results are a mix of classics, new discoveries, and more.

Read on for their favorite books by women, for women.



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'Book Club' Writers Were Told Nobody Wants to See a Movie With Women Over 60—They Made It Anyway


You might be surprised that Book Club—a romantic comedy, in theaters now, about four women in their late 60s whose lives and sexualities are awakened after reading Fifty Shades of Grey*— was written by two people in their mid-30s. But it was a story co-writer and producer Erin Simms and director, producer, and co-writer Bill Holderman wanted to tell. In fact, it took them about six years—and a lot of hustle—to get it made. Now, Simms looks back on the “risk” they took, how they got stars Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen on board, and more.*

There are two types of risks. For me, the “not doing something” kind is never the one worth taking.

No one asked me and Bill Holderman to write Book Club. We wrote the script in our free time and on spec, meaning, for free. We both had full time jobs at a production company and were developing and producing movies for Robert Redford. If that sounds like a pretty great gig, it was. When we left that safe, comfortable existence to blaze our own trail it was, in a word, risky. (I’m pretty sure “stupid” and “irresponsible” were also frequent descriptors at the time, but I digress.) The thing is, I just couldn’t shake the idea of making a movie starring four female Hollywood legends in leading roles. The idea was too exciting. This was the kind of movie I wanted to see, but it wasn’t going to be easy.

The journey to get the movie made was long and fraught with complications. Our script was bought and held hostage for two years. When we finally regained the rights, many financiers wanted us to cast younger so that their returns would be less “risky.” (There’s that word again.) They told us audiences wouldn’t show up for a film about a mature group over sixty, a group that happened to be made up of four women. When we told them our dream cast was Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen, they scoffed: “You think actresses like that will take a risk on a first-time director?” Other financiers wanted us to replace the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy featured in the movie because, according to them, E.L. James would never give us clearance to use her books. I can’t tell you how many times we heard: “Why risk it?”   Book Club was a labor of love, but even more so it was a labor of resilience. It was made independently, on a tight budget, and in just 33 days. When our little movie was acquired by Paramount Pictures with their full support for distribution, the amazement I felt was close to awe. Making this movie gave me a profound sense of accomplishment—not because we completed it, but because we started it in the first place. Because we tried.

It also reinforced something I suspected early on: Other people don’t necessarily know any better than you do. Sometimes it’s hard to believe, but it’s true. So when someone tells me “you can’t” or “you won’t,” I smile inside because I know it’s just another hurdle to clear, because that’s what those opinions are. They are a weeding out process—a test. They are other people’s fear of trying something new or different, something that simply might not work out. Something risky.

PHOTO: WireImage

Director/co-writer Bill Holderman, Candice Bergen, Don Johnson, Mary Steenburgen, and co-writer Erin Simms

While I would hardly dare to compare myself with the legends that are Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen, in a way I feel a kinship towards them. These are women who never gave up, never took no for an answer, and who are willing to take the risk. They are also women who have grown up in front of the world and have forgiven themselves for getting older and who are still willing to get out there and try new things no matter the outcome.  It’s the survivor, badass, never-say-die quality in each and every one of them that takes the fear out of getting older for me and makes this movie an actual joy to see (and frankly kind of a miracle).

Those are the themes that inspired this movie: Taking chances and challenging yourself, no matter your age; looking forward instead of looking back, and relying on the beauty of female friendship to carry you along the way. For me, the risk was always the reward.

As the opening day for Book Club arrives, I find myself less focused on its performance and more grateful for the journey. Although it would be nice if this demographic proved to the industry that yes, people will show up if you give them something to show up for!

As the great T.S. Eliot wrote, “For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business.” Here’s the thing about trying: It never gets old. And if trying never gets old, then maybe trying is the key to staying young at any age. Furthermore, if the four actresses who star in Book Club are any indication, then without a doubt, the future really is bright.



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Tina Fey Expertly Called Out David Letterman on His Lack of Female Writers


Tina Fey is no stranger to making waves in roles where women are incredibly underrepresented: She was the first female head writer on Saturday Night Live. She was the creator of—and writer for—30 Rock and a co-creator and writer for Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Most recently, she’s shown off her talent by rewriting Mean Girls for Broadway (which racked up 12 Tony nominations on Thursday).

So you’d think she’d have a lot to talk about with David Letterman on his new Netflix show, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. And she did—although it might not have been what he was expecting. Fey’s spoken about the importance of diversity in the writers’ room before, recently in Variety‘s April “Power of Women” issue. Meanwhile, late-night comedy shows—like Letterman’s old Late Show—still are notorious for being a boys club. Although women are beginning to pave the way for other aspiring female comedians and hosts like Samantha Bee and, most recently, Busy Philipps, gender inequality still prevails in the writers room and in front of the camera.

So when Letterman attempted to explain why he’d had few women employed as writers, Fey put him squarely in his place.

“I didn’t know why there weren’t women writers. There was no policy against women writers,” Letterman, who passed the late-night baton off to Stephen Colbert in 2015, told Fey. “I always thought, ‘Well, geez, if I was a woman I don’t know if I would want to write on my nickel-and-dime, dog-and-pony show anyway because we’re on at 12:30.’”

Thankfully, Fey didn’t let that response slide: “Yeah, we did want to write on it, though,” Fey said.

Fey’s blunt response prompted Letterman to apologize: “But that is my ignorance, and I feel bad for that,” he said. “And it’s changing, has changed.”

But Nell Scovell, who made history as the first female writer on the Late Show in the early ‘90s until leaving in 2009, pointed out on Twitter that things have remained mostly the same for Letterman.

“Meanwhile, on Dave’s new Netflix show, there are 5 Executive Producers and ALL are male,” she wrote. ‘It has changed’ but not on Dave’s shows.”

You can watch Fey’s appearance on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction here.

Related Stories:

-‘Mean Girls’ Leads the 2018 Tony Awards With 12 Total Nominations–Tina Fey and Megyn Kelly Share the Life Advice They Swear By At This Very Moment–’30 Rock’ Called Out Harvey Weinstein Five Years Ago





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Sustainable Fashion: Ethical Writers & Creatives Is Working to Make the Influencer Industry More Ethical


Among the friends, family, and celebrities that you follow on Instagram, there’s a chance you probably also keep up with at least one influencer, whether it’s Chiara Ferragni or Grumpy Cat. Just a decade ago, “having influence” wasn’t a viable or lucrative conceit—now, “influencer” is a job title in nearly every field, with some raking in millions of dollars in revenue. (The market as a whole is set to reach up to $10 billion by 2020, according to mediakix.) Within this ever-growing, ever-changing market, there also have been growing niches, bloggers and social media stars focusing on specific topics or lifestyles. The sustainability community has been one of the most noticeable ones—and one that’s banding together to effect lasting change on this burgeoning industry.

“Blogging can be a really isolating experience,” remarks eco fashion blogger and journalist Alden Wicker (also a Glamour.com contributor). That’s why, four years ago, she rounded up the very few bloggers in the fashion sustainability space to create a small network of like-minded women—one that would grow to be 60 members strong, and called the Ethical Writers & Creatives (EWC).

EWC is driven by two admirable goals: to improve the world with their work and to raise standards in the influencer industry. This sector has become something like the Wild West, with no clear-cut rules or guidelines to establish order and ethical conduct (despite the Federal Trade Commission’s best efforts), to prevent people from falsifying images or manipulating data, like follower count—but, united by a shared passion for sustainability and ethical responsibility, this group is trying to combat these practices and to push the community toward more sustainable practices.

EWC does this through meaningful content and reported features (membership at EWC grants you access to resources, like educational workshops and a group Slack channel to ask questions, to write such stories), refusing to take information at face value and questioning everything you’re told even widely-accepted truths (such as the widely-quoted “fact” that fashion is considered the second most polluting industry, which Wicker debunked on her website, EcoCult.) It also instituted a code of ethics that all members must abide by.

“In the mainstream influencer space, there’s a lot of frustration around the lack of standards and rules, like follower- and like-buying, photoshopping, and overall inauthenticity that can make it feel really icky to call yourself an influencer or blogger,” says Wicker, who serves as the president and COO of EWC. “We’ve become the gold standard for ethical and sustainable blogging.”

PHOTO: Courtesy of Ethical Writers & Creatives.

Members of Ethical Writers & Creatives, from left: Alden Wicker, Faye lessler, Kestrel Jenkins, and Elizabeth Stillwell.

“The sustainable fashion industry is evolving so fast, but you can’t manage what you don’t measure,” she continues. “There is so much misinformation out there and because we spread information really fast, it’s important everyone is doing it correctly. The articles we write are incredibly smart, well informed, and educational—much more than the average blogger.”

But EWC isn’t only attractive to influencers: It’s bringing in sustainable brands who want to work with them, too.

There have been between 20 to 30 brand partnerships that have been established through EWC in the past two years, according to the group’s marketing director Kaméa Chayne (who’s the curator of ConsciousFashion.co and host of the Green Dreamer podcast), with companies like Delgatto, GrunBag, Jean Franklin, and Threads Worldwide.

One of the biggest projects EWC has worked on has been with DoneGood, a Chrome extension and app that directs consumers toward mission-driven brands, the platform was promoted across multiple influencers’ sites during a two-month-long campaign.

“If you’re in the sustainability space, you can’t help but know about the EWC,” says Cullen Schwarz, co-founder of DoneGood. “EWC has assembled the leaders of the ethical influencer community, making it easy to work with all of them collectively to make a much larger impact.”

With EWC working as a liaison between the brands and influencers, a lot of the guesswork—like figuring out how much to price paid campaigns or sponsored posts—is taken out of the equation. More importantly, the group unifies all members under one pay scale, so that no one is over- or undercharging brands, making it a win-win on both sides. “These small brands know we’re not scamming them out of their money,” Wicker explains, “and on the creative side, they know they’re going to be paid for the work they do.”

PHOTO: Courtesy of Ethical Writers & Creatives.

Current and former members of Ethical Writers & Creatives at the group’s launch event in 2014. From left: Alden Wicker, Emma Grady, Juliette Donatelli, Elizabeth Stilwell.

“This group of knowledgeable women mentored me, and gave me a greater ethical awareness and eco understanding,” says Holly Rose of Leotie Lovely and social media manager for EWC, who joined in 2015. “I’m not really sure what would have happened to me had this group not existed.”

Still, in terms of “improving the world,” particularly in terms of sustainability, there’s a lot that needs to be done. That concept means different things to different people—and for some, it’s become a catch-all word for anything remotely eco- or socially responsible, from supporting local artisans to living a zero-waste lifestyle to veganism. (Differentiating all the companies that market themselves as “sustainable” is something the fashion industry as a whole struggles with as well.)

“Sometimes there’s tension between members about what it means to be ethical and sustainable, especially between those who are vegan and not vegan, but when I sense tension, that’s when I step in,” Wicker says. “We might disagree on how we’re going to get there—a better world, a better fashion industry—but we have to remember we’re all here because we care so deeply about these issues.”

As of now, the EWC is effecting change by holding larger brands accountable, calling out brands that aren’t transparent, shedding light on how toxic some biodegradable fabrics can be, spotlighting small sustainable brands, writing smart posts that addressing hard—or in Rose’s words, “not sexy”—subjects like green energy or policy. They’re working to educate readers-slash-consumers who can then make informed choices with their purchasing power.

“The ethical and sustainable fashion movement is so new—it really started in 2013 with the collapse of Rana Plaza, so a lot of us are just writing, watching, and trying to figure out how to best support the movement,” Wicker says. “Many of us aren’t really sure what’s next; we’re trying to figure that out.”

Natalie Kay, founder of the blog Sustainably Chic who joined the EWC two years ago, says long-term change will begin when bigger brands are onboard with the movement: “We can make baby steps, but to get to the masses, companies like Target need to step up to make sustainability more accessible. We need to market to everybody and find a fair price point.”

Each member of EWC might have a slightly different vision or approach to making the industry more sustainable, but they all share the same end goal: “Our motto is collaboration over competition, so we provide a space where we can support each other,” Wicker says. “I never expected the EWC to be this big or important to people, but it’s been an amazing ride and I love every single member.”

Related Stories:

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Why So Many Fashion Brands Are Casting Their Own Employees in Ad Campaigns

Chromat’s Becca McCharen-Tran on Curvy Mannequins, Size Inclusivity, and That Major Nordstrom Buy



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