Today is my 30th birthday. As a feminist activist who came of age in the '80s and '90s alongside the popular use of computers and the emergence of feminism's media savvy third wave, one might say founding a feminist-oriented blog was an utterly predictable choice for me to make, and while that may be true, it was not a choice I ever anticipated making... until I did.When I was an undergrad, I worked as a student assistant in the Women's Studies Institute at my university. The head of the department generously allowed me to use the institute's resources, like the copy machine, to create my first media project, a zine comprised of artwork and essays compiled from the internet called Strike. I sold some of these for a dollar apiece, but mostly gave them away to anyone interested in reading a critique of pro-capitalist feminism or checking out the artwork of Shirin Neshat. Strike lasted for two issues before I teamed up with my friend Alex to create the kind of magazine she and I wanted to read—and Altar Magazine was born.
I was happy to see Altar was recently added to Utne Reader's The Dead Magazine Club, an online project that keeps the spirit of well-intended yet ultimately unsustainable indie mags alive, because that magazine had a lot of good stuff going on and was easily the precursor to what Feminist Review is today: a space representing the many divergent voices within social justice movements. Alex and I crafted Altar's mission statement (which I am still very proud of!) over a delicious vegan dinner at a spot in East Atlanta, and after I lost a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, we also had the perfect name for the place we hoped people would come to reflect on the past, meditate on the present, and push feminist thought to the next level.
In 2006, Altar merged with Clamor Magazine, a partnership the two struggling magazines had hoped would combat the then recently emerging crunch felt by the decline of print media, and despite all our best efforts, those dreams were soon dashed. One might look at this as a sign that it was time to get out the game, and believe me I considered it, but here's something I found out during those five years: you learn an enormous amount from your failures. And I certainly got a hefty education during that time—not only in media but also in working with others. I had the enormous privilege of building relationships with amazing media makers, writers, artists, activists, and academics—as well as folks who are better described using some combination of the terms. These are the inspiring people from whom I gain encouragement and support in sustaining this longest-running media project of my personal lot, thenow three-and-a-half-year-old Feminist Review.
Now no longer simply my own creation, Feminist Review belongs to all of the editors and writers whose creative and intellectual energies provide daily content that is representative of the pluralism of modern, global feminisms, and their ability to harmoniously coexist. It also belongs to the readers, whose comments and commitment to having difficult dialogues provide a continuation of necessary discussions within social justice movements. We hope you will join us as we move forward with the purpose of creating an online space for contemplation, critical thought, and the promotion of new ideas, as a revamped site will be launched this summer.
For the next eight days, Feminist Review will continue to collect contributions (one-time & recurring) for our I ♥ FR Campaign. We have already raised over a quarter of our $5,000 goal, which would cover this year's overhead expenses, like shipping and web hosting, and if each person who reads this plea over the next week donates just $5 (that's one Starbucks grande vanilla soy latte, y'all), we will easily meet this goal. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to continue to make feminist media—a fitting birthday present, indeed.
In community,
Mandy Van Deven
Founding Editor
