WomanSpirit

{{Infobox magazine|title=WomanSpirit|editor=|frequency=Quarterly|circulation=3,000|category=|company=|firstdate=1974|lastdate=1984|based=Wolf Creek, Oregon|language=English|website=http://www.womanspirit.ws/|issn=|oclc=3113446|image_file=14V4Win1977_Womanspirit-cover.jpg}}

WomanSpirit (Fall 1974 - Summer 1984) was a lesbian feminist quarterly founded by Ruth and Jean Mountaingrove and produced collectively near Wolf Creek, Oregon. It was the first American lesbian/feminist periodical to be dedicated to both feminism and spirituality.{{Cite journal|last1=Long|first1=Linda|last2=Gage|first2=Carolyn|author-link2=Carolyn Gage|date=2008|title=A Lesbian Archivist Discovers A Hidden Literary Treasure in Southern Oregon|url=https://www.scribd.com/document/30877835/A-Lesbian-Archivist-Discovers-a-Hidden-Literary-Treasure-in-Southern-Oregon|journal=The Lambda Book Report}}{{Cite encyclopedia|title=Womanspirit|encyclopedia=Routledge International Encyclopedia of Women: Global Women's Issues|publisher=Routledge|last=Christ|first=Carol|date=2000|author-link=Carol Patrice Christ|editor-last=Kramarae|editor-first=Cheris|pages=2050–2051|isbn=9780415920889|editor-last2=Spender|editor-first2=Dale}} Many of the contributors to WomanSpirit were, or became, well known within the women's spirituality movement.{{Cite news|url=https://www.academia.edu/11871201|title=The Land Within|last=Griffin|first=Wendy|access-date=3 January 2018}} It had 40 publications, covering topics such as ecology, goddess myths and rituals, feminist theory, and divination. Its submissions included articles, photos, letters, book reviews, artwork, and songs.{{Cite web|url=http://www.womanspirit.ws/|title=WomanSpirit|date=2008|website=WomanSpirit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918073425/http://womanspirit.ws/|archive-date=18 September 2017|url-status=live|access-date=3 January 2018}}

History

{{See also|Goddess movement#Background|Oregon Women's Land Trust|Separatist feminism#Lesbian separatism in the US}}

WomanSpirit was founded by Ruth and Jean Mountaingrove in 1974, who had a vision for a magazine that was "international and radical feminist. We wanted a cultural revolution—a total reordering of institutions and values. It was to be a modest magazine with grand goals."{{Cite book|title=Circles of Power: Shifting Dynamics in a Lesbian-centered Community|last1=Summerhawk|first1=Barbara|last2=Gagehabib|first2=La Verne|publisher=New Victoria|year=2000|isbn=9781892281135|location=Norwich, VT|pages=68|chapter=3 Political Circles: Shaping a Community's Response}} In 1978, they bought and moved to Rootworks, their lesbian land. From 1979 to 1984, they produced Womanspirit in the barn they built ("Natalie Barney"). Women who came to work on the different issues could stay on the land for however long they needed to or could.{{Cite book|title=Lesbian Land|last1=Mountaingrove|first1=Ruth|last2=Mountaingrove|first2=Jean|publisher=Word Weavers|year=1985|editor-last=Cheney|editor-first=Joyce|location=Minneapolis, Minn|pages=125–128|chapter=Rootworks|lccn=85016866|author-link=Ruth Mountaingrove}}

Impact

At the height of WomanSpirit's circulation, it was distributed to 91 women's bookstores, 10 countries, and had over 3,000 subscribers. The existence of Rootworks and WomanSpirit has been credited by many women for bringing them into rural Oregon to participate in the women's land movement.{{Cite thesis|last=Burmeister|first=Heather Jo|title=Rural Revolution: Documenting the Lesbian Land Communities of Southern Oregon|date=2013|degree=Masters|publisher=Portland State University|url=http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/9905|doi=10.15760/etd.1080|doi-access=free}}

After it folded, Jean Mountaingrove suggested that an index be made and Christine Menefee offered to make one.{{Cite web|url=https://mypersonalblogccm.blogspot.com/2009/11/womanspirit-index.html|title=The WomanSpirit Index|last=Menefee|first=Christine|date=2011}} It was published in 1989{{Cite book|title=Womanspirit Index: Your Comprehensive Guide to the Decade of Women's Spirituality, 1974-1984|last=Menefee|first=Christine|year=1989|isbn=978-0962103513}} and is out of print, but has been useful for researching feminist and women's history.

Notable contributors

{{Div col|colwidth=30em|content=*Margot Adler

WomanSpirit

History

Impact

Notable contributors

See also

References

Further reading