At the 2017 Creatures, Crime and Creativity Conference, I was waiting for a session to begin. Sitting near me was Diana Belchase, whose writing and editing background is incredible and far-reaching. While waiting, she casually asked, “Are you a member of Sisters in Crime (SinC)?” I answered “No,” and she replied, “Why not?” Why not indeed? I resolved then to find out more about Sisters in Crime, and after my research, I realized I should have joined a lot sooner.
What is Sisters in Crime?
Sisters in Crime was initiated by Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Sara Paretsky in 1986 and other women attending the Bouchercon in Baltimore of that year. Paretsky had spoken previously about how she was concerned about “the growing use of graphic sadism against women in mysteries.”After meeting at Bouchercon, other authors joined Paretsky and they met during Edgars Week in 1987 to flesh out what they hoped to accomplish as a combined force. Many authors expressed frustration at the small number of female authors nominated for major awards in crime writing. Further, they wanted their books to be reviewed at a rate that matched the output of female crime writers. From these meetings and several other conversations, Sisters in Crime was born.
Why SinC is so Important
Crime writers are not any one thing: we aren’t all male or all female, we aren’t solely Caucasian, or American or any one thing. We are people with interests in and a passion for solving puzzles, developing interesting characters and stretching our minds using the milieu of crime to frame our stories. And these stories are as diverse as we are.
The organization’s vision is to “serve as the voice for excellence & diversity in crime writing,” and it’s in this mission and its work over thirty years that we owe a debt to Sisters in Crime. Drs. Kenneth and Mamie Phipps Clark developed a famous study in 1939 and 1940 that chronicled-the poor self-image of Black children by having them answer questions about two dolls, one White, one Black. The study found that the self-image of the children had been severely damaged by racial segregation. One reason for this is that the children seldom or never saw positive images of Black adults who were physicians, teachers, or lawyers. These children had no idea that they could enter those careers. Sometimes if we don’t see “ourselves” within a profession, we don’t know if we belong in that profession or if we should even aspire to it.
For thirty years, Sisters in Crime has made it the organization’s business to promote excellence and diversity among crime writers. And I, for one, am very happy they do.
