Mystery Monday: Sisters in Crime
On Saturday, I worked the Sisters in Crime booth at
the Women’s Expo in Manchester, NH. I was surprised at the number of visitors
who were unfamiliar with SinC, although I guess I shouldn’t have been. There
are myriad industry groups from transportation to retail and certainly lots of
writing organizations.
An international organization, SinC currently has
forty-eight chapters world-wide. The goal? “To promote the ongoing advancement,
recognition, and professional development of women crime writers.” (Just so you
know, we do allow male members and have lots of “brothers.”) A thirtieth
anniversary event is being held in Boston on March 25th.
A full history can be found on the Sisters in Crime website but here’s a brief synopsis:
In the mid-1980s 82-year-old author Phyllis Whitney
wrote a letter to the Mystery Writers of America noting that it had been
fifteen years since a woman had won an award for Best Novel. She then asked if
they felt free from discrimination. That incident started a lot of “buzz” from
the younger female writers. In response, Sara Paretsky (author of the V.I.
Warshowski series) talked to a number of women at the 1986 Bouchercon
conference, they agreed to meet the following year. (Interestingly enough they
met during Edgars week)
Their initial mission was “Sisters In Crime is
committed to helping women who write, review buy, or sell crime fiction. Our
ultimate goal is to become a service organization to address issues of concern
to everyone involved in the mystery field.” As a member of the main
organization and the New England chapter, I can tell you they have met their
goal resoundingly. Personally, I would not be a published author were it not for
SinC.
Do you love to read mysteries? Visit SinC’s website
for a list of member authors. Find
everything from romantic suspense and thriller to cozies and traditional
mysteries.
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