Spring 2019 Events Sneak Peek
Here at UNSUITABLE we’re busy planning an exciting Spring 2019 season of visitors. Mark your calendars and save the dates for award-winning author of gorgeous contemporary romances Sonali Dev on February 15th, and bestselling author of brilliantly original historical romances Theresa Romain on March 22nd. Look for more special guest announcements to come soon, and […]
TODAY: Queer Romance Goes Mainstream
On March 23, UNSUITABLE welcomes author Damon Suede for a conversation about the rich and sometimes controversial history of gay romance, and the state of this popular sub-genre today. Join us at noon in 011 Old Chem on the campus of Duke University.
Cinderella Revisited (Or, Why I Teach the History of the Romance Novel to University Students)
In early 2016, as part of an effort to encourage more university Women’s Studies programs to include courses about popular fiction in their offerings, one of the largest US publishing companies, HarperCollins Publishers, created a blog called Gender & Genre (full disclosure: this is currently my publisher), and invited its academically inclined authors of women’s […]
Our Spring ’17 Speakers are Here!
Join us on Duke’s West campus in January and February for three wonderful FREE & PUBLIC conversations about publishing, fiction and romance: January 25, 6:30pm – “Marketing Digital Fiction” with HarperCollins Publishers’ Shawn Nicholls, Associate Publisher February 8, 6:30pm – “Romance, Shakespeare & Popular Appeal” with New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James and Executive […]
Spring 2016 “UNSUITABLE” Series Speakers
Join us this Spring for a lineup of wonderful speakers and conversations about fiction, feminism, masculinity, and diversity in the world of romance fiction. Our events begin on February 3rd with Dabney Grinnan, publisher of the website All About Romance, discussing feminism and the romance blogosphere, and continue on February 24th with New York Times […]
What Is “The Romance Novel” Course?
Empowered heroines? Great sex? Wildly popular? IT MUST BE “TRASH” If you’re a Duke undergrad or graduate student visiting here for the first time, welcome! “The Romance Novel” course (HST 248S.01) is for students interested in popular culture, popular fiction, history, literature, questions of race, ethnicity, gender and sexualities (femininity and masculinity), writing, and creative entrepreneurship. This course explores […]
Welcome to the Conversation
Why UNSUITABLE? Women’s activities — both entertainment and employment — are often considered less serious or less important than men’s. Often they’re even deemed unworthy pursuits, unsuitable for women to engage in and enjoy. Women regularly find themselves justifying their choices and preferences at great length or, alternately, hiding them. In the realm of entertainment, nowhere is this more obvious than in […]
