by Dawn M. Sanders
Hello Everyone,
It’s a cool, but sunny pre-spring March Day.
Happy International Women’s Day to all grandmothers, mothers, daughters, nieces, aunts, trans women, and women everywhere.
In our first issue of 2024, as our publication day has landed neatly on International Women’s Day, the theme is women and the multiple barriers and marginalising factors we still face, despite huge strides toward equity. Our main feature by Emily Warner, is an articulately written piece on challenging women’s fashion for those using an attached health-related device or just uniquely shaped. Sophie Lord has also challenged the fashion industry and other official bodies in marketing diversity. Augustina Boateng presents a less-than-recognised perspective of feminisation in the professional world. Sunita Thind alerts us of the cultural stigmas and taboos experienced by South Asian women facing infertility. Srijani Rupsha Mitra returns with another poem, creatively challenging cultural expectations of women in India. For good measure, because someone fed back to me how our content is a bit ‘heavy-going’ I was compelled to write a blog on where humour takes its place when navigating the world through the lens of maintaining our emancipation along with whatever additional challenges we have. So, there is not only superseding themes from a multidimensional spectrum of similar narratives, but I am also always proud when we address perspectives you don’t see in mainstream publications, and I must commend the talented writers we’ve been fortunate to feature this quarter.
On a more pragmatic note, you will notice the little pop-up when visiting the site asking for a donation of one pound. This is not a pay wall or even the beginnings of one, but despite calls for contributions in our newsletters or issues, we have few or no answers coming forward. Every pound donated as a one-off upon visiting the site will keep us afloat and sustain the magazine – it is just a trial, but as we have reached the end of our funding stream, having stretched it as far as possible, we need to fully monetise this platform.
With every intake of pitches, as an editor, I am pleasantly overwhelmed and flattered that so many want to write for us, as marginalised communities are crying out to be heard. Yet, if we don’t get reliable financial support, there are no commissioning writers or journalists, so no magazine – please consider this if you would like to see us continue our important work.
Okay, enough said. I hope you find the brimming content in the issue, informative and interesting – there is plenty to get you through for some good weekend reading.
On behalf of all of us: Dawn Sanders, Editor, Sophie Lord, Sub-editor, Celeste Pearce, Illustrator and Maggie Duerden, web manager – happy spring forward as the days continue to grow.
Dawn Sanders, Editor
© 2024