Margaret Atwood: 'In Tolkien, there are hardly any women at all'

Speaking at Book Riot Live with fantasy author NK Jemisin, Atwood discussed the lack of diversity in fictions and the challenges of writing about ‘now’

Margaret Atwood was seven when she began writing her first novel. It was about an ant. “It taught me a lot about narration because nothing happens to ants for the first three-quarters of their life cycle. I’ve never started a novel the same way since,” she told the packed room of fans and readers at the first annual Book Riot Live convention in New York this weekend.

Partnered with speculative fiction author NK Jemisin, whose debut novel The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms was nominated for the Nebula and Hugo awards, both authors spoke on writing on what they didn’t know, whether it was ants or even women.

Continue reading...