The importance of community in print
By Caraline Squires | Staff Writer
If you were a closeted lesbian in the mid-1900s, you couldn’t just receive a lesbian and feminist literature magazine like Lesbian Connections or Amazon Quarterly in the mail. Instead, you received a folded-in-half, completely stapled-shut, unidentifiable magazine; the former was far too dangerous.
From October 3 to December 3, the sixth floor of the Glickman Library will host an exhibit of lesbian and feminist literature from the 1950s to the early 2000s that contributed to the Women in Print Movement.
Presented by the founder of the Wanderground Lesbian Archive/Library, Mev Miller, Celebrating Women In Print was a display and conversation about the lesbian publications, artifacts, literature, and media included in the exhibition. In addition to a presentation of the works, there was a conversation about the history of the Women in Print Movement and its importance. The Wanderground Lesbian Archive is a collection of books, publications, letters, postcards, news clippings, photographs, and other memorabilia. “I’m kind of a little bit of a packrat,” Miller admitted, explaining that she has collected about 80% of the collection. Wanderground is located in Rhode Island and enjoys highlighting the New England region. One of Wanderground’s main focuses is being community-oriented, continuing the mission of lesbian literature throughout the late 1900s.
Miller gave an in-depth history and presentation of some of the works included in the collection. During the 1930s and 1940s, lesbian life in literature was mostly portrayed as tragic. Moving on to the 1950s and 1960s, lesbian literature was mostly pulp fiction written by men for fantasy purposes. It’s not that women didn’t want their stories to be heard and published; it’s that publications owned and written by men would not print their stories. “We couldn’t get them printed, so we learned how to print,” Miller explained.
Within these publications and periodicals were news, articles, opinion pieces, reviews, advertisements, and more. It was about lesbians finding out what was going on in their communities safely—information like where to get your haircut, which therapists to see, what concerts to go to, and how to talk about important community issues as well as significant women’s struggles. There were murder mystery stories, political pieces, community happenings, love stories, and advice and resource columns. However, these women had to be careful, which is why publications were so important to the growth of these communities. “It was about saving our lives,” said Miller.
Miller also explained that New England was a sort of hotbed for literature and publications, highlighting multiple publications like Rain and Thunder in Massachusetts, which unfortunately stopped publishing this year. Publications were started by a range of community members striving for representation, the most notable being Kitchen Table Women of Color Press, founded in 1980.
Highlighting Maine, Miller mentioned Astarte Shell Press in Portland, which came from the Feminist Spiritual Community. One audience member shared that the Feminist Spiritual Community was formed by USM Professor Eleanor Haney and her students after her course Women in Religion in the spring of 1980.
So, where did it all go? Miller explained that undercapitalization and burnout were major contributors to the industry’s decline, in addition to chain bookstores’ predatory practices toward small-owned stores and primary distributors closing and filing for bankruptcy. Miller also mentioned that because times have changed—lesbians are no longer seeking community centers to the same extent—there are many other reasons for the industry’s decline. Miller joked that the presentation was just “Mev’s take.” Despite the decline, many publications are still going strong, including Lesbian Connections and Sinister Wisdom.
Visit the sixth floor of the Glickman Library to view the exhibit, which will be on the Portland campus until December 3.