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Wild Women Press Interview

Posted on 07 September 2004. © Copyright 2004-2024 WriteWords
A longer version of this interview is available to WriteWords Full and Community Members.
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WriteWords talks to Wild Women Press, a poetry publishing imprint that aims to give a platform for newer women writers.

Tell us something about your background.

Inspired by the Clarissa Pinkola Estes book, “Women Who Run With The Wolves”, Vik [Bennett, who began the project] sent out a wild howl to call together women from all over Cumbria in Northern England. Thirteen women, many of whom had never written before, arrived at the door and from this small beginning the Wild Women! group was formed. Wild Women Press began by publishing anthologies from the group. With sell out success and wide media coverage, the press showed that sometimes doing it the wild way is the right way. The group still exists, but four of us decided we wanted to take it further. We're expanding the press to give a platform to new women writers. We are a not-for-profit collective of poets, writers and artists.

What kind of writing do you look for?

We only publish women, probably a good idea if you know this. We aim to publish work that is passionate, beautiful, honest, strong, original, intelligent, challenging, curious, sensual, playful, inspiring, courageous, wild and wonderful. Our publications showcase the talents of fresh and contemporary writers, many of whom are in the early stages of their careers. We are interest in words that shine and make us sit up and listen.

Who are your favourite writers and why?

We are very different in our tastes, but we all share a voracious appetite for reading – so there are just too many to list. But if you want a few – for freshness of voice, that certain tingle, the ability to move the reader, pure sensuality, interest – then how about Sharon Olds, Haruki Murakami, Billy Collins, Rilke, Jo Shapcott, Bron Bateman….

What excites you about a piece of writing-

If it speaks to us – it has to reach deep inside and grab the core. Writing that excites, intrigues, challenges, seduces – when the writer hits that track of magic that just absorbs you as a reader…

and what makes your heart sink?

Pretentious self- congratulatory work, writing that is too self-conscious and trying to be ‘clever’, writing that is cliché, lacking self-awareness, contains no music or passion for the language it is using, writing that is trying too hard to be cool, writing that attempts to imitate, oh, and writing about bloody daffodils!



A longer version of this interview is available to WriteWords Full and Community Members.
Click here to learn more about becoming a member.







Comments by other Members



anisoara at 19:27 on 07 September 2004  Report this post
How wonderful! I absolutely LOVE Women Who Run with the Wolves. Someone I know recently described it to me as 'the woman's bible', and I think that is so fitting. How wonderful and inspiring it is that Wolveshas inspired your press!

Ani

lieslj at 05:21 on 10 September 2004  Report this post
May they go from strength to strength. Yay sistahs!


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