Women In Print Movement : Primary Sources: WIP Anthologies & Books

All the Women Are White, All the Blacks Are Men, But Some of Us Are Brave: Black Women’s Studies is the first comprehensive anthology of Black feminist scholarship and writing, inspired and produced by members of WIP. Essays in the anthology are authored by prominent Black feminist writers including, but not limited to, Alice Walker, Barbara Smith, and Elizabeth Higginbotham. The editors, themselves, were also Black feminist WIP members. Akasha (Gloria T.) Hull is a writer and professor of literature and women’s studies at the University of California Santa Cruz. Patricia Bell Scott is a feminist writer and former women’s studies professor. Barbara Smith is a writer, lecturer, activist, and the founder of the Kitchen Table Press, a central WIP Black feminist press. The anthology is organized into seven sections: “Searching For Sisterhood: Black Feminism,” “Roadblocks and Bridges: Confronting Racism,” “Dispelling The Myths: Black Women And The Social Sciences,” “Creative Survival: Preserving Body, Mind, And Spirit,” “‘Necessary Bread’: Black Women’s Literature,” “Bibliographies And Bibliographic Essays,” and “Doing The Work: Select Course Syllabi.”

Home Girls: A Black Feminist Anthology is an early compilation of literary works by Black feminists and lesbian activists who were inspired by WIP. The anthology communicates the Black female and Black lesbian experience as well as the literary contributions of Black women throughout history. The editor, Barbara Smith, is a founding WIP member and was one of the most prominent Black voices within the movement. The work’s essays are authored by, amongst others, Donna Allegra, Cheryl Clarke, Gloria T. Hull, June Jordan, Audre Lord Pat Parker, Barbara Smith, and Alice Walker. The anthology is divided into five sections: Black feminist lesbian relationships, art and literature, Black communities, photographs, and Black feminist lesbian activism and spirituality.

Nice Jewish Girls: A Lesbian Anthology is a compilation of essays, histories, photographs, poems, and short stories that detail the triumphant and painful experiences of Jewish lesbians and speak to Jewish lesbian identities. Many contributors were Jewish WIP members. Evelyn Torton Beck is a Professor Emerita of Women’s Studies at the University of Maryland.

Our Bodies, Ourselves is a central feminist work that seeks to educate women about their bodies and health. Republished almost every decade since its first release, Our Bodies, Ourselves became a prominent WIP publication published by the prominent WIP publisher Daughters Inc. The 1970 edition is divided into 11 chapters: “Women, Medicine, and Capitalism,” “Anatomy and Physiology,” “Sexuality,” “Some Myths About Women,” “Venereal Disease,” “Birth Control,” “Abortion,” “Pregnancy,” “Prepared Childbirth,” “Post Partum,” and “Medical Institutions.”

This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color is a feminist anthology first published by the famous WIP Persephone Press in 1981. This work details the experiences of women of color and explores points of intersectionality amongst these women. The work further challenges white feminists who excluded women of color from their feminism and paved the way for third wave feminism. The anthology includes essays from prominent feminist women of color such as: Gloria Anzaldúa, Audre Lorde, Cherríe Moraga, Rosario Morales, Barbara Smith, Beverly Smith, and Nellie Wong. Moraga and Anzaldúa are both feminist Chicana writers, activists, and scholars. Moraga is a Professor of English at the University of California Santa Barbara and Anzaldúa specializes in cultural, feminist, and queer theories. The anthology is divided into six sections: “Children Passing in the Streets: The Roots of Our Radicalism,” “Entering the Lives of Others: Theory in the Flesh,” “And When You Leave, Take Your Pictures With You: Racism in the Women’s Movement,” “Between the Lines: On Culture, Class, and Homophobia,” “Speaking in Tongues: The Third World Woman Writer,” and “El Mundo Zurdo: The Vision.”

The Tribe of Dina: A Jewish Women’s Anthology is a collection of essays, interviews, memoirs, and poems that communicate the depth of Jewish women’s lives, participation as Jewish women, and the struggles they face. The anthology was published by the famous WIP publishing house Sinister Wisdom Books. Editor Melanie Kaye Kantrowitz is a lesbian Jewish activist and lecturer of Urban Studies at Queens College. Editor Irena Kelpfisz is a lesbian Jewish author, academic, and activist.

The Guide to Women’s Publishing was a quintessential WIP-inspired book. The Guide compiled all necessary guidance for women who were inspired by WIP and wanted to join the movement particularly through publishing. Its authors, Polly Joan and Andrea Chesman, were part of WIP and acted as feminist writers, editors, and contributors to WIP publications such as Quest.

One of the most famous WIP novels, Rubyfruit Jungle is a semi-autobiographical novel by lesbian author Rita Mae Brown. The work was one of the first novels to openly talk about lesbian life.

Written by the founder of WIP and published by the prominent WIP publisher Daughters Inc., Sister Gin is a novel about aging, lesbian consciousness, and alcoholism told through the story of a group of elderly women who act as anti-rape vigilantes.