What are you reading on the subway or in the waiting room today?
I’m reading A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, a children’s book published in 1905.
What book popped for you in 2016?
The Power by Naomi Alderman.
Whose words do you return to regularly?
Neil Gaiman.
Is there an author you can’t wait to read next?
Next on my reading list is Peter Ackroyd’s Queer City: Gay London from the Romans to the Present.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a middle grade novel set in a magical hotel in London.
What do you hope your work for the VIDA Count will achieve?
I hope it helps people understand the reality of how difficult it is for marginalised people to get access to publishing, and puts pressure on those publishers to do more outreach.
Have you witnessed any of the effects of the VIDA Count in the literary world?
Yes! The Vida Count inspired a similar project in Science Fiction and Fantasy, run by Strange Horizons Magazine. I helped them with their count last year, and a few of the magazine editors responded positively to the numbers, saying they were going to update their reviewing policies.
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E.G. Cosh is a writer and data visualisation designer living in London. She is also co-host of the short story discussion podcast, Storyological. See more about her at www.egcosh.com