Quick, name three female novelists who aren’t Margaret Atwood or Alice Munro.

Now try and rack your brain for three male novelists.

Which was harder?

Admittedly, CanLit has been charitable to our Ladies of Verse. Atwood and Munro (considered by many the best short story writer ever) are international superstars. But even considering a humble city such as our own, a lot more male novelists come to the tip of one’s tongue: Greg Hollingshead, Thomas Wharton, and Todd Babiak. Of course, we’re not dismissing the talents of these gentlemen. But the issue of gender in popular literature is worth considering.

In a society that has yet to dispense entirely with the virgin/whore template for femininity, however, it’s hardly refreshing to read The Tyee’s recent article on how Chick Lit is becoming synonymous with literature written by women.

The article, Chick Lit’s Big Fight, announces the release of an anthology entitled THIS IS NOT CHICK LIT: Original Stories by America’s Best Women Writers, edited by Elizabeth Merrick. A decade after the release of Bridget Jones’ Diary, Merrick argues the landscape of literature written by the fairer sex has changed dramatically.

In interview with Helaine Olen, Merrick reveals that the rise of Chick Lit–that sappy genre contemplating the complexities of make-up, dating, and shopping–has marked the decline of literary fiction by women. While Chick Lit’s proponents point out that the popular books address the reality of 21st century women in the workforce, Merrick is concerned that "serious" women writers are being ignored by both publishers and the public.

Merrick cites The Guardian study that showed men simply don’t read books by women, period. Women, on the other hand, read books by both genders.

"We have a slot for the Big Boy Genius Book," Merrick says. "Do we have a slot for the Big Girl Genius Book? An ambitious novel, epic, that doesn’t just ape male novels but deals with women’s lives and themes?"

Of course, in Canada, works like Anne-Marie McDonald’s massively popular Fall on Your Knees comes to mind, as does Karen X. Tulchinsky’s less well-known The Five Books of Moses Lapinsky. Both enjoyed the backing of large(r) Canadian publishers, too.

On the other hand, Leah McLaren’s Chick Lit-tastic The Continuity Girl, as we mentioned some months ago, is to be released shortly in the States. And she’s working on another one.

Be your own Oprah

As far as we know, since Oprah stopped focusing exclusively on female authors, there is no (public) reading group devoted to "Not Chick Lit." There is, however, a group that meets monthly at the Whitemud Crossing library to discuss a particular title of the genre. We’re giving you a bit of advance warning so that you can read The Other Side of the Story by Marian Keyes in time to discuss it at the September 26th meeting. Call 496-8342 to register.

Poets and they know it

Meanwhile, next Monday be sure to drop by the City Arts Centre for the Stroll of Poets Society’s Launch of the Killer Blinks. An evening of poetry readings, the event will showcase the talents of 60 poets, each of whom must demonstrate their poetic charms in less than 30 seconds on stage. Cheap tasty eats during the intermission. Doors are at 6:30, the show starts at 7, and admission is free. Contact Ivan Sundal at 488-9647 for more information.