T h e U n i v e r s i t y o f W i s c o n s i n S y s t e m Feminist Collections A Quarterly of Women’s Studies Resources W OMEN’ S S TUDIES Volume 25, Number 3, Spring 2004 Published by Phyllis Holman Weisbard L IBRARIAN Women’s Studies Librarian Feminist Collections A Quarterly of Women’s Studies Resources Women’s Studies Librarian University of Wisconsin System 430 Memorial Library 728 State St. Madison, WI 53706 Phone: 608-263-5754 Fax: 608-265-2754 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.library.wisc.edu/libraries/WomensStudies/ Editors: Phyllis Holman Weisbard, JoAnne Lehman Cover illustration: Miriam Greenwald Cartoon (p.6): Steve Greenberg for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 1999. Reprinted with permission. 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ISSN: 0742-7441 © 2004 Regents of the University of Wisconsin System Feminist Collections A Quarterly of Women’s Studies Resources Volume 25, Number 3, Spring 2004 CONTENTS From the Editors/Letters ii Book Review: Jeanne Miller Beyond the Numbers: Qualitative Research 1 on Low-Income Women Kathryn McGrath Pushed to the Margins: The Slow Death and 4 Possible Rebirth of the Feminist Bookstore Website Review: Malgorzata Chmielecka Polish Women’s Organizations on the Internet 10 JoAnne Lehman E-Sources on Women & Gender 15 Phyllis Holman Weisbard & Others New Reference Works in Women’s Studies 18 JoAnne Lehman Periodical Notes 27 Melissa Gotlieb Items of Note 31 Books Recently Received 33 Subscription Form 35 FROM THE EDITORS LETTERS We first took a look at feminist June 17, 2004 parenthetical “(Southern),” and real- zines in 1996 (in Angela Richardson’s Could you please pass along to ized that I was about to embark on a “Come On, Join the Conversation!,” Mhaire Fraser my thanks for her won- condescending and poorly written FC v.17, nos.3-4), and two years ago derful review of my zine The Visible piece of writing. But considering that I we made a commitment to reviewing Woman [in FC v.25, no.2, Winter am a great fan of some of the zines them on a regular basis in Feminist 2004, p.25] — it meant a lot to me to listed, and know some of the writers, I Collections. Since then we’ve published read her perceptive and very kind continued to read. four “Zine and Heard” columns by analysis. I am not sure where to begin my Mhaire Fraser, each looking at a num- Best, list of complaints, although I am ex- ber of these alternative, fringe-feminist Liz Seymour tremely surprised that you call yourself self-publications by and for “grrrls” a “feminist” and that this was even and women, and Phyllis has reviewed a published in a credible academic jour- zine by “librarrrians.” In June of this nal. (In your review of The Language year, we displayed about forty feminist of No, your response to the authors’ zines at the Milwaukee gathering of point that patriarchy exists in the National Women’s Studies Associa- underground/alternative tion, where they were enthusiastically scenes — “This may be an received by conference attendees, and arguable point and I am not we’ve collected many more since; these sure where they wanted to go will all become part of the University with it, but I think the idea may of Wisconsin–Madison Libraries. have teeth” — was bewildering. Why do we give so much space Uh, duh.) I am also extremely sur- and attention to this popular-culture prised that you consider the South phenomenon in FC, which is, after to be your heritage, but perhaps you all, “a credible academic journal” (to are so busy “eating fresh fruit” and quote one reader below)? We feel “collecting freckles” that a carcinogenic it’s important to review zines in sun-haze has induced an identity crisis. these pages because they can Third, I am also extremely surprised serve as a gauge of the produc- that you enjoy or are familiar with tion of (mostly) young feminists, zines and zine culture, since you have and therefore they are a potentially obviously missed the point of zines. significant resource for women’s studies Which, in case you are in need of re- courses and research. The reviews minding, are personal, unprofessional, themselves are starting to generate independent, and not intended to be some discourse as well. We offer the spaces for writing that is formulaic, letters below in the hope of inspiring July 12, 2004 dry, and school-ish. They are extremely even more feedback and dialogue. Dear M.L. Fraser: subjective lenses to personal and politi- What do you think about all this? It was with interest that I picked cal issues. The vast majority are written We’d love to hear from you, whether up your zine review article, “Rebel by young people, for young people. you’re a zine maker, a zine reader, or Song” [in FC v.25, no.2, Winter 2004, The condescending tone you have in even a newcomer to the whole idea. pp.23–26], seeing as I am Southern, a your approach is disappointing — “the feminist, and a zine writer (Invasion of angst-filled diary is what we all wrote J.L. & P.H.W. the Bee Girls). Unfortunately, I should ‘back then’”; “It is quite the grownup have stopped reading once I saw the thing to do and quite the communica- tion” (Brazen Hussy); “it still smacks of Page ii Feminist Collections (v.25, no.3, Spring 2004) Letters ‘girl growing up in her twenties’” “poorly written” part, I’m not sure in their thirties and sometimes forties, (Negrita). I am glad you are able to what the exact charge is, so I can’t re- as well as by women in their fifties who pinpoint when zine writers are acting spond to it. I will tell you that my edi- have come to feminism later in their “grownup,” and I am also glad that you tor and I decided it was appropriate for lives. Often these publications are are able to write belittling sentences the language used in the column to amazing in their insight and argumen- such as “it is not a bad little book” have a “zine-like” tone. Could that be tation. Sometimes, they are not. But (Negrita). I am also going to assume what you meant? your argument that my review is bad that you are white, considering your I also cannot respond to the per- because I do not understand that zines insistence that it is “race,” not “color,” sonal attacks (that is, that I am not a are the voice of youth is, simply put, a and your dismissive attitude towards feminist, Southern, or a person of bad argument. Negrita’s treatment of racism. color, all of which will come as a big I do agree with you that “[zines] I do not want you to think this is surprise to those who know me). The are extremely subjective lenses to per- a personal issue because I know some claiming of a self-identity is the corner- sonal and political issues.” Absolutely. of the zine authors reviewed; I am also stone of zine writing, and to argue However, many zine writers make the a scholar of zines, and in fact wrote my someone’s identity from outside that mistake of including filler consisting of undergraduate thesis on the subject. I identity promotes separatism. As I see whatever randomly strikes them as es- realize that there are thousands of bad it, one goal of zines is to decenter this sential to the human condition. Unfor- zines out lurking in the world, but kind of separatism that often holds tunately for us all, they are not always there are also bad reviews (not just forth in feminist discourse, especially, right. The zine is a form of discourse negative reviews, but reviews that are as you so astutely point out, in aca- between writer and reader, as I’m sure arbitrary and irresponsible). I hope you demic journals. Thus, to respond to you know, and the job of the writer is will be more supportive of women this attack would further the separa- to communicate his or her voice in a punks next time; otherwise, stick to tions that I as a feminist and zine way that resonates with the reader.