2013 Honoree

Jodi Picoult

Award Winning Author; Spokesperson, Positive Tracks/Children's Hospital, Dartmouth

“Power is the ability to open people’s minds by getting them to consider alternate points of view. Being a writer gives me a platform from which I can address issues that are sometimes tough to even consider silently, much less talk about. I love being able to start discussions about thorny topics.”

What city best describes your personality?

Boston. It’s spirited, cozy, historically relevant, and yet still “wicked fun.”

What’s the best advice you’ve ever ignored, and the worst advice you’ve ever taken?

Best ignored: Don’t major in creative writing.
Worst taken: Cut your hair in a Dorothy Hamill style.

What is your best read? What book would you want to be a character in?

Best read: Gone with the Wind. But, I’d want to be Elizabeth Bennet in Pride & Prejudice.

How do you define power? Do you enjoy it? How do you live with your success?

Power is the ability to open people’s minds by getting them to consider alternate points of view. Being a writer gives me a platform from which I can address issues that are sometimes tough to even consider silently, much less talk about. I love being able to start discussions about thorny topics. As for living with my success: honestly, I lead a pretty ordinary life. One of the beauties of being a writer is that you are recognized by your titles, not necessarily your face–we have “real” celebrities in America and writers are rarely included in that list.

When do we stop asking questions about gender equality? When will is be Power People instead of Power Women? Is gender more important than politics?

This is a huge conundrum in publishing. One of the issues I’ve been most vocal about is how female writers (particularly female commercial fiction writers) are not taken as seriously as their male counterparts. VIDA statistics have backed this up: not only are women reviewed less often, but there are fewer female reviewers of books. This is particularly depressing given that the vast majority of book buyers are women. I have been fortunate–I get reviews. I have readers. But, so many young women who are starting out as writers do not get those luxuries, and don’t have a prayer of getting the trifecta in the NYT (daily book review, Sunday book review, Style section article). I love the fact that I get to use my voice to call attention to this inequity and you can bet I’m going to keep doing it, even though I’ve had male colleagues say I am “whining.” Apparently, if a woman opens her mouth and tries to address an inequality of power, she is automatically complaining. If a man does it, he’s a visionary. As long as that stereotype exists, we have to keep talking about gender, and until that stereotype is eradicated, we need Power Women to remind the world of what we already know: that we are every bit as influential and important as our male counterparts.

What do you think of social media?

In publishing it is a fabulous way to connect with your readers and to give them a glimpse into the part of you that ISN’T about your books. I get to post family photos, pictures of my dogs, articles that have interested me. I think it makes me more real to my fans, and takes down that invisible wall between the author and the reader.

What’s one place you’ve always wanted to visit on your travels?

The Maldives.

When sending a child out to see the world for the first time, where would you send them?

To see buildings in Europe older than our entire country; and to see landscapes in Africa with indigenous animals that may not be around for their own children to see.