Women In Print Movement : Primary Sources: WIP Publications

Azalea: A Magazine by Third World Lesbians (active 1977-1983) was a New York City-based quarterly periodical by and for Black, Asian, Latina, and Native American lesbians both in the United States and throughout the world. Azalea was founded by WIP members Joan Gibbs, Robin Christian, and Linda Brown and grew out of the New York City Gay Activists Alliance Black Lesbian Caucus. Azalea was thus published with the mission to amplify and make public the voices and writing of lesbian women of color. Azalea archives can be found at the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Duke University.

Big Mama Rag (active 1972-1984) was a lesbian feminist newspaper based in Denver, Colorado. Big Mama Rag was printed once per month by the Big Mama Rag feminist newspaper collective, part of WIP. The newspaper has been digitized and is available online in its entirety through Independent Voices, the open access collection of the Alternative Press.

The Feminist Bookstore News (active 1976-2000), also known as the Feminist Bookstores Newsletter until 1984, was a newsletter for feminist bookstores by WIP members. The newsletter, based in San Francisco, California, was founded by Carol Seajay after the First National Women in Print Conference in 1976. During its lifespan, the newsletter was printed either bimonthly or quarterly and created a network for feminist booksellers and publishers both in the U.S. and internationally. The James C. Hormel Gay and Lesbian Center at the San Francisco Public Library holds the newsletter’s archives.

Lesbian Connection is one of the few WIP-era publications still active. Founded in 1974 in East Lansing, Michigan by the lesbian-feminist collective Ambitious Amazons, Lesbian Connection was a central publication in WIP and remains a vital resource for lesbians in the U.S. today. This bi-monthly, member-driven publication for and about American lesbians includes announcements, events, current affairs, housing, and news in order to create community and inspire activism. Lesbian Connection archives are digitized and accessible online through Independent Voices, the open access collection of the Alternative Press.

Lilith: The Independent Jewish Women’s Magazine was founded in New York City in 1976 by small group of Jewish women led by Susan Weidman Schneider. Lilith was then, and remains today, a feminist publication for Jewish women. Contributors included women throughout the Jewish feminist community. Lilith is archived through the publication’s institutional website.

Quest: A Feminist Quarterly (active 1974-1982) was founded in Washington D.C. by WIP members Charlotte Bunch, Dolores Bargowski, Mary Helen Mautner, Emily Medvec, and Juanita Weaver, amongst numerous others. Quest included articles and essays of, for, and about the feminist movement aimed particularly toward feminist academics and theorists. Quest archives are accessible through the Schlesinger Library, Harvard University.

Sinister Wisdom was founded in 1976 and remains the longest operating lesbian journal in the world. Sinister Wisdom is an American lesbian art, literary, and theory journal published quarterly in Berkeley, California. Contributors include, and have included, a wide range of creators from novice lesbian writers to famous lesbians such as Audre Lorde and Adrienne Rich. Archived issues of Sinister Wisdom are available through the institution’s website.