5 Sources For Intelligent Feminist Writing

Resources For Readers Looking For Feminist Content

Inspiring Quotes From Successful Women

• "If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again!" - Sojourner Truth
• "I believe that it is as much a right and duty for women to do something with their lives as for men and we are not going to be satisfied with such frivolous parts as you give us." - Louisa May Alcott
• "It doesn't matter who you are, where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you. Always." - Oprah Winfrey
• "Find out who you are and be that person. That's what your soul was put on this Earth to be. Find that truth, live that truth and everything else will come." - Ellen DeGeneres
• "One's feelings waste themselves in words; they ought all to be distilled into actions which bring results." - Florence Nightingale
• "A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman." - Melinda Gates

The Urgency of Intersectionality

10 Women Who Changed History

1. Claudette Colvin: Teenage civil rights activist
2. Jane Addams: Nobel Peace Prize winner & suffragette
3. Rosalind Franklin: Made ground-breaking discoveries about DNA
4. Sojourner Truth: Abolitionist and women's rights activist
5. Indira Gandhi: First female prime minister of India
6. Margaret Sanger: Fought for women's right to birth control
7. Marsha P. Johnson: Trans woman and LGBT rights activist
8. Junko Tabei: First woman to reach the summit of Mt. Everest
9. Susan Travers: WWII General who served in Italy, Germany, & France
10. Betty Friedan: Social activist and author of The Feminine Mystique

The Power Of Women Helping Women

In Depth

Despite all the progress made over the years, American society still has a long way to go toward realizing true gender equality. For that reason, feminism continues to be a vitally necessary movement, one that has the power to confront injustice and reshape social, political, and economic systems for a better future. Writing, especially, is one of the critical tools capable of catalyzing these changes. Encompassing a diversity of authors and sensibilities, here are, in no particular order, five sources for smart feminist writing that can make a real difference.

Coming in at #1 is Autostraddle. Created by and for LGBTQ women, this popular lesbian website offers progressive feminist perspectives on topics such as art, pop culture, relationships, and politics. It strives to be a fresh and inclusive platform rooted in values of equality and visibility, and aims to prompt discourse that's simultaneously insightful, candid, compelling, and funny. Due to its impact, in 2015 the site was honored with the GLAAD Award for Outstanding Blog.

The content featured on Autostraddle spans a wide range of articles, from summaries of television episodes to first-person essays and posts about sex toys. Some of its most popular features are listicles, such as "82 Queer TV Shows to Stream on Netflix" and "The 100 Best Lesbian, Queer & Bisexual Movies Of All Time." Readers can also find plenty of writing about fashion, music, food, and books, as well as illuminating accounts of LGBTQ history and activism.

Readers can also find plenty of writing about fashion, music, food, and books, as well as illuminating accounts of LGBTQ history and activism.

For #2 we have Ambivalently Yours, a website that explores feminism through the lens of emotional ambivalence. Its founder, who goes under the titular pseudonym, embraces the idea of indecision as an act of resistance, one that consciously refuses the binary logic that society imposes on women. Through illustrations, videos, and blog posts, Ambivalently Yours seeks to rescue the language of girlhood from denigration, and nurture empathy and agency within a virtual community of women who defy categorization.

Ambivalently Yours began on Tumblr, where its creator's popular drawings generated communal, feminist web-based exchanges. The drawings, which emphasize tender emotions and bold pastel pinks, appear alongside poetry in Ambivalently Yours zines. These include five volumes documenting Tumblr-inspired web interactions, complete with messages and their illustrated responses. An extension of this project is the "Rebelliously Tiny" podcast, which involves conversations with people the creator met through or because of the internet.

At #3 is the Feminist Library On Wheels. Part of the Women's Center for Creative Work in Los Angeles, F.L.O.W. is a free, mobile lending library of donated feminist works. With the mission of making feminism accessible to all communities, it offers a multimedia collection of books and artifacts that anyone can check out with a free library card. The eco-friendly, volunteer-run organization is notable for using bicycles as its mode of transportation.

With the mission of making feminism accessible to all communities, it offers a multimedia collection of books and artifacts that anyone can check out with a free library card.

Reflecting an expansive range of voices, F.L.O.W.'s library collection is built to support readers from all backgrounds as they navigate their own individual feminist journeys. The collection is searchable online, and can be publicly accessed at the Women's Center for Creative Work, as well as at events such as farmers' markets and fairs. Those interested in getting involved can volunteer to help with cycling, catalog maintenance, book pick-up, and more.

For #4 we get Clarisse Thorn, a sex-positive writer, lecturer, and activist whose work focuses on BDSM and gender and ethics. Her best-known book, "The S&M Feminist," is a compilation of notable articles she wrote for places such as "The Guardian," "Jezebel," and "Time Out Chicago," with added commentary included. Thorn is also the author of "Confessions of a Pickup Artist Chaser," which draws from the time she spent researching male pickup artists, as well as her own relationship experiences.

Other books by Thorn include "BDSM & Culture," which explores the titular subculture while dispelling the myths and stigmas that commonly attend it. The author also writes short fictional works, such as "Switch Seductress," about an escort-turned-history professor who falls for one of the political enemies her activist husband has ordered her to target. In addition to her literature, Thorn does nationwide presentations and workshops on topics such as sexual communication, masculinity, and video game rape.

In addition to her literature, Thorn does nationwide presentations and workshops on topics such as sexual communication, masculinity, and video game rape.

Finally, arriving at #5 is Ms. Magazine. Launched in 1971 to much derision by the male-centered mainstream media, this publication quickly became a sensation among readers, emerging as the first US magazine to feature and promote feminist voices. Today, it remains an invaluable resource for feminist information both in print and online, where its in-depth investigative reporting and political analysis reach readers around the world.

Ms. Magazine covers several areas including justice and law, education, health, and the environment. It also maintains a focus on arts and entertainment, as well as on current national and global news related to women's rights, activism, and government policies. Its myriad columns and series, meanwhile, tackle everything from black feminism to stories about women's lives prior to Roe v Wade. The magazine furthers its impact through its Ms. Classroom digital program, which makes significant feminist writing accessible to college and high school students.