Ask a Mentor-Editor: Christine Kenneally

Christine Kenneally is a journalist and author who has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times, Slate, and New Scientist, as well as other publications. Her book, The First Word: The Search for the Origins of Language, was published in hardback by Viking in 2007. Before becoming a reporter, Christine received a Ph.D. in linguistics from Cambridge University and a B.A. (Honors) in English and Linguistics from Melbourne University. Christine was kind enough to answer the questions we’ve been asking of our Mentor Editors over the last few weeks. Her answers are, quite honestly, inspiring. Check them out:

Why do you think there are so few women on the op-ed pages?

I suspect there are at least two factors at work, though there may be more. First, it’s clear that women need to submit more. This is easier than it sounds (see the answer to the next question!). The other problem is surely that residual sexism constrains the choices of some editors, male or female. Maybe some day, a researcher will run an experiment or do a study that proves conclusively this is not the case. If that happens, I’ll be happy to change my mind. In the meantime, I know way too many women writers who have impressive expertise and writing skills, and who don’t get enough work. If they were invited to write op-eds, I know they would be fast, professional and produce stimulating pieces (and if any op-ed page editor would like a list of these names, I’d be delighted to put it together for them). I don’t know the solution to this problem, but—without suggesting that it is women’s job to change it–I am confident that it won’t change if more women don’t submit more op-ed pieces.

What can individual women do to change the situation?

It’s hard to write on spec–most of us don’t have spare time. It’s also hard to be rejected. When you put in a lot of work, it can feel like an entirely wasted effort if there is no publication at the end of that. The weird-good news about rejection that is that it doesn’t matter how successful you get, there is always some rejection–let me explain! Not every piece works for every editor, there are a million reasons why some articles don’t pan out. The more you realize this, the more it frees you to keep trying instead of becoming too discouraged or taking it too personally. One also learns that rejections can teach you to be a better writer. In addition, the more you go through that process, the more you learn to be discerning about what criticism you need to take and what criticism you can safely ignore. I’ve read it a million times, and I believe it to be an immutable law of physics–when it comes to publication, persistence is an essential ingredient.

What advice would you give to a young feminist hoping to break into public debate?

Rest assured that–even if it doesn’t feel this way most of the time–the rest of us, writers, feminists, readers, look forward to hearing your voice. You won’t be told this often, if it all, you may never get a real sense of who is reading you, but if you do your research and you are willing to be edited, if you write with sincerity, and if you care about your subject, a lot of people will enjoy and even be changed by what you do. And always reach out for help, checking in with someone you know who has been through the same thing can save you a lot of time, as well as provide some ongoing reassurance. Take a class, do a seminar, start a group (commit to your op-ed groupies that you’ll all write a piece every two weeks!), and reach out online.

What’s an example of an argument that changed your life?

This example may seem a little trivial, but it did change my life. At the risk of revealing what a luddite I can sometimes be, I recall that when my husband wanted to get wifi in our house in our 2002 I thought it was an absurd and unnecessary expense. Still, he made a strong case for it. I don’t remember each point, but they added up to the conviction that it was at least worth trying. Of course, before you knew it, I was on the web in some fashion from ten different locations in the house. Wifi has changed the fundamental design of how we live. I am sometimes on the computer all day and I can’t imagine being tethered by a cable to just one spot.

Ask a Mentor-Editor: Maia Szalavitz

Maia Szalavitz is a journalist and author who covers neuroscience and the intersection between mind, brain and behavior.  She has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, Elle, Redbook, Time Magazine online, New Scientist, Reason, Mother Jones, O: the Oprah Magazine and other major publications and has appeared on Oprah, CNN, MSNBC and NPR. She is a Senior Fellow at Stats.org, a media watchdog organization. She is the co-author of The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog and Other Stories from a Child Psychiatrist’s Notebook and author of Help at Any Cost: How the Troubled-Teen Industry Cons Parents and Hurts Kids. Maia is a former heroin and cocaine addict, and combines her experiences with her considerable expertise to write intelligently and with empathy about a range of addiction-related issues.

We asked Maia the questions we’ve been asking our Mentor Editors over the past few weeks, and she gave us some fascinating answers. Here’s what Maia had to say:

Chloe Angyal: Why do you think there are so few women on the op-ed pages?

Maia Szalavitz: I think women tend to be more cautious than men in being sure that they are “right” and that their opinion is valid.

CA: What can individual women do to change the situation?

MS: Submit more op-eds!  Realize that if the only people who speak up are those who are certain, the points of view that are expressed will not benefit from the subtlety of argument that can come from those who are less sure of themselves and therefore, more likely to back up what they say with good evidence.

CA: What advice would you give to a young feminist hoping to break into public debate?

MS: Don’t worry about not being 100% sure– just jump in.

CA: What’s an example of an argument that changed your life?

MS: When I first tried to quit heroin, I was on methadone maintenance for a short period of time.  Because of prejudice about methadone, I thought that it didn’t really count as “recovery”– and because I personally kept using cocaine as well, I thought that it didn’t help anyone.  After I kicked drugs via a different method, I even wrote an op-ed for Newsday opposing methadone.  Then, I read the research and met people who really did benefit.  I learned then that an anecdote–even my own– is not evidence and that you need to be familiar with the research before you make arguments that can affect people’s lives.  Since then, I have done whatever I can to fight prejudice about methadone or other maintenance drugs that can help people recover.  But note that I was wrong and survived to publish again, too!