Queer feminist print culture from Sappho to Sinister Wisdom
Claire de Rouen Bookshop, London, 12th October 2024
Opening the October Reading Room at the Claire de Rouen Bookshop on Saturday 12th at 4:30 pm, feminist researcher and archivist Dr. Eleanor Careless was in conversation with Lu Williams, founder of the Grrrl Zine Fair, to discuss the genealogy of lesbian and queer independent publishing in the UK, followed by an exploration of the contemporary zine-making scene among women, trans, and non-binary creators.
From Arena Three to Sappho to Spare Rib’s lonely hearts pages, there is a long and rich tradition of lesbian and queer magazine publishing in Britain. Returning to these archives throws up unexpected alliances and campaigns, from early demands for prison abolition to the publishing of a ‘transexual liberation manifesto’ in 1974.
This talk moved between these UK archives and Claire de Rouen’s newly acquired archive of Sinister Wisdom, an important US lesbian magazine of the 1970s-90s, to discuss the legacies and potentialities of queer feminist print culture.
Some photos from the session
