Department of Ancient History (subhead: dinosaurs that refuse to die)

Women swimmers win gold medals and get subhead billing under a Michael Phelps silver in the papers.

Some folks are just slow learners.

Glacial, even:

Almost 20 years ago, Norman Mailer dismissed writing by women as “always fey, old hat, Quaintsy Goysy, tiny, too dykily psychotic, crippled, creepish, fashionable, frigid, outer-Baroque, maquillé in mannequin’s whimsy, or else bright and stillborn”. Five years ago, VS Naipaul said there was no living female author who was his equal. And this year, Gay Talese said he could not name one woman writer he admired. As these attitudes persist, it is Garrison’s view that we need to work to create an environment where women feel they can carve out their own space, regardless. And online, communication, community-building and innovative ways of disseminating writing can be pursued to best advantage, even with all the potential naysayers lurking on the #women_writers hashtag.