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Introduction to Feminist Writings

© Moira Richards

Feminist Writings covers all aspects of writing for women, by women, and about women and the issues that concern them. The subject can be a little difficult to define because there are about as many definitions of feminism as there are feminists, and about as many definitions of what literature is, too! But all that goes to make it a subject that is both dynamic and full of debate!

I have listed some links to websites that discuss literature in terms of feminism as well as to places that review and discuss the work of feminist writers, poets and thinkers; links too, to the sites of the publishers that specialize in feminist writing and to the ezines that solicit and publish it.

My articles will comprise book and ezine reviews; they will take a closer look at the work of some of the niche feminist publishers as well as to the women who have self-published their work; they will showcase the (too few) awards and prizes that reward feminist writing and the works of the women who have won them; they will examine many of the issues that inform the writings of women on the edges of the mainstream - women who are old, or black, or lesbian, or poor, or HIV positive.

There are few, if any, major publishing houses that specialise in writing by and for women, or in writing that challenges conventional patriarchal thinking. But many small and tiny publishing companies have set up business to fill this gap (or chasm, perhaps :-)

Some of them are so small as to comprise just an author's own self-publishing venture, many are co-operative and possibly, non-profit initiatives. There are publishers that are overtly feminist and publishers that specialise in girls, lesbians, black women, and in many other niche areas. Not a few feminist publishers make a concerted effort to rediscover and publish writings that have gone out of print, or that were not accorded their due when first published many decades ago.

Together, all of these separate and independent publishers make up an exciting source of reading material. Most of them are too small to afford an advertising budget large enough to ensure the notice of the general public. I will mention briefly, seven niche publishers here, and if your appetite is whet by the broad variety of work that is too often overlooked by mainstream publishers, then go check their sites from the list of links.

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