Fiction is read mainly by women, statistics reveal
It appears that men do not get the appeal
Of getting lost in a world of the writer’s imagination
While for women it serves as a mental vacation
To vicariously inhabit fictional characters’ lives
At least for me, reading fiction makes me feel alive
*
Yet male authors have historically dominated the fictional space
Relatively recently women have found a more prominent place
In the world of published fiction, and I suspect
That similar to every other industry, this reflects
Women authors receiving differential treatment
When they try to sell their books to literary agents
*
As I grow older, increasingly I seem to gravitate
Towards fiction penned by women, I can relate
Much more to the characters in their narratives
They reflect the universal tribulations through which women live
*
Give me strong female characters, who wield soft power
Those are the kind of stories I devour
