Is Women's Writing Still Relevant?

The shortlist for the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction is out, sparking an important debate: does the term “women’s writing” still make sense today, and do we still need prizes dedicated exclusively to female authors?In the very first episode of Transatlantic Bookmarks, we discuss women’s writing, literary prizes, and whether male experience is still treated as the default universal perspective in literature. We also share some of our favorite female authors and talk about the books we love most.📚 BOOKS MENTIONED:• The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke• Heart the Lover by Lily King• The Correspondent by Virginia Evans• 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver• The Secret History by Donna Tartt• The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt• The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy• The Bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andrić💌 Our Substack & Show Notes: https://transatlanticbookmarks.substack.com/📚 Read Ksenija’s Novels: https://transatlanticbookmarks.substack.com/p/publications📚 Ksenija on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6449766.Ksenija_Popovi_🎙️ ABOUT TRANSATLANTIC BOOKMARKSTransatlantic Bookmarks is a weekly literary podcast about books, reading, literary fiction, contemporary fiction, classic literature, literary prizes, translated literature, and the ideas found in great books.Hosted by European novelist Ksenija Popović and American engineer Sue Graham Johnston, the podcast explores literary fiction, award-winning novels, book recommendations, new releases, classics, translated literature, and the conversations literature inspires.New episodes are released every week.👉🏻 CHAPTERS00:00 Intro01:14 The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke04:35 Heart the Lover by Lily King05:33 The Correspondent by Virginia Evans07:05 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff07:24 Defining Women’s Fiction12:20 Women Read More13:06 The Balkan Perspective15:53 The American Perspective19:59 The Disparity in Literary Awards22:42 Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver and the Opioid Epidemic33:20 Is Women’s Prize for Fiction DEI?41:55 Do We Read More Female or Male Authors?46:04 The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy47:39 Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch and The Secret History50:00 The Bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andrić53:20 Book Recommendations