At Texas Monthly, Mimi Swartz profiles Vivian Stephens, a former editor of romance novels at Dell, a division of Doubleday, who was instrumental in founding the Romance Writers of America before she was pushed out. “Stephens was one of the first to recognize that American women had moved beyond bodice rippers and were ready for something new,” Swartz writes. “In retrospect, the Koppel interview captures Stephens’s personality in microcosm, revealing how she rose through the ranks of romance publishing. She was fearless in the face of challenges—whether it was ridicule or racism—qualities that would serve her well in the world of white male publishing. Others might have been defeated by rejection; Stephens was both accustomed to it and undaunted by it.”
Romance Pioneer Vivian Stephens Gets Her Due
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Jante Law
Recommended reading: Michael Booth writes for The Paris Review about the work of Danish author Aksel Sandemose and the “enduring mark on the national character” his satirical Jante Law has left.
“There’s potential on Twitter for wild formal invention.”
If you’ve finished reading David Mitchell’s latest short story – which was published on Twitter last week and then ran on our site five days ago – you’ll appreciate Ian Crouch’s look at its greater meaning, and what it could mean for Twitter as a whole.
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Nein, nein!
Bad news, guys: the longest word in the German language is officially no longer a word.
I am trying to contact Ms. Vivian Stephens to get names of some of her black romance books. My name is Gloria J, Hart
Please let Vivian Stephens know I am very glad she is being celebrated. Well deserved. And I need to be in touch with her if possible.
Thank you.