Feminist Presses Created by Savi Gellatly-Ladd (Summer 2025) Explore the presses, events, bookstores, and publications that helped shape the feminist movement in Canada from the 1970s to 1990s. This digital exhibit features a selection of archival materials from the Rise Up collection. Feminist presses and publishers were crucial to activism during the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, distributing information, analyses, and news relevant to women’s experiences and the struggle for equality. Relying on networks of collaboration, Canada’s feminist publishing and printing scenes carved out vital spaces in a male-dominated literary world—spaces that continue to resonate today. They made women-centred information accessible to a growing audience, opened up feminist dialogue, facilitated grassroots organizing, and built pathways into non-traditional work by helping women gain skills in publishing and printing. These movements challenged the field’s centring of white, male, and heterosexual perspectives—including those within the feminist movement itself. Despite their important role, however, feminist presses and periodicals faced challenges in keeping publications running against the backdrop of rising neoliberalism, technological changes, and the shifting terrain of feminist struggle. Common struggles included a lack of funds, burnout, internal disputes, and political differences. Feminist publishing and printing collectives also faced tensions around inclusion, often privileging white, middle-class perspectives while marginalizing racialized, Indigenous, and queer voices. These struggles sparked early debates on intersectionality and the need for more diverse feminist representation, leading to the creation of literary spaces by and for Black, Indigenous, and Women of Colour. In addition to these and other archival items in the Rise Up collection, several Feature Articles and Women Unite interviews on our website also explore the history and significant role of feminist periodicals, bookstores, presses, and events. The Archive is a Promise to the Future Reflecting on the Toronto Women’s Bookstore Women Unite: First Anthology of Canadian Women’s Movement Apropos of Press Gang Going Upstream: The Making of Ottawa’s Feminist Newspaper Toronto Women’s Bookstore: Becoming Intersectional and Anti-racist PressesPeriodicalsBookstoresEvents Feminist Presses Feminist presses were pivotal in making feminist publishing possible. They created space for women’s voices to be heard in the literary scene, often collaborating with feminist bookstores and organizations. They also played a crucial role in the production side of publishing, from pricing books to creating layout boards and operating printing presses. The following presses featured in the Rise Up collection offer a snapshot of the dynamic feminist publishing ecosystem in Canada in the 1970s – 1990s. Press Gang Established in 1970, Press Gang was a Vancouver-based feminist printing and publishing collective. Originally formed by both men and women, it became an explicitly women-only feminist and anti-capitalist collective in 1974. Press Gang operated on a worker-controlled business model and was committed to supporting grassroots political groups. They refused to print discriminatory material and gave women access to non-traditional work. By 1989, Press Gang had branched out into two separate collectives: Press Gang Printers and Press Gang Publishers. Press Gang Printers folded in 1993, while Press Gang Publishers continued to operate until 2002. Read Feature Article about the history of Press Gang by Nancy Pollak. Sister Vision Press Sister Vision Press was a feminist publishing house that operated from 1985 to 2001. Formed in response to racism and exclusion within Canada’s publishing industry, Sister Vision Press published the writing of Black women and women of colour, illuminating the intersections of race and gender. Sister Vision’s publications challenged sexism, heterosexism, and racism while supporting authors whose voices were being shut out of Canada’s literary scene.In addition to its over 50 publications, Sister Vision Press began producing Abeng: Sister Vision Newsletter in 1990. Read the Voices in History resource booklet produced by the Canadian Centre for Gender+Sexual Diversity for more about the history and legacy of Sister Vision Press. Montreal Health Press The Montreal Health Press formed as a collective in 1972 after the success of the Handbook Collective, an initiative that began in 1968 as part of the McGill Students’ Society and produced early editions of the Birth Control Handbook. As a feminist non-profit press, Montreal Health Press was dedicated to making information on women’s health and sexuality more accessible to the public. They produced a number of resources in both French and English. The Women’s Press Founded in 1972, The Women’s Press was the first English-language feminist publisher in Canada that created space for women writers and feminist titles in the publishing industry. Women Unite! An Anthology of the Canadian Women’s Movement was their first publication, with the first edition released in July 1972.Women’s Press worked closely with Press Gang, collaborating on book sales until the early 1980s. In 1988, an internal dispute occurred around a proposed anti-racism policy, which led several members to leave and start Second Story Press. This photo shows members of The Women’s Press engaged in the printing process, gaining valuable skills and experience in traditionally male-dominated forms of work. Second Story Press Founded in 1988, Second Story Press is a feminist publishing house that began as a women’s workers’ co-operative. Created by a group of women formerly involved in The Women’s Press, the press emerged after an internal dispute over a proposed anti-racism policy prompted them to start a new venture. From the beginning, Second Story Press has centered diverse voices, histories, and experiences, publishing both fiction and non-fiction for a wide range of audiences. It continues to operate today, committed to publishing feminist titles that empower and reflect a broad spectrum of perspectives. Visit the Second Story Press website for information about their work now. Feminist Periodicals From the 1970s through the 1980s, a wide variety of feminist periodicals emerged across Canada. Produced by women’s centres, collectives, student groups, and other organizations, these publications reflected the key issues and concerns of the feminist movement at the time. Some, like Branching Out, Broadside, Herizons, and Hysteria, covered a wide range of topics. Others, such as those below, were more thematic. Click on the images to browse some of the periodicals in the Rise Up archival collection. Black, Indigenous, and Immigrant Women and Women of Colour Racialized, immigrant, and women of colour created their own publications to explore the intersections of race, culture, ethnicity, and gender. Many of these periodicals emerged alongside efforts that challenged mainstream feminist movements to be more inclusive and anti-racist. They featured the experiences, stories, art, campaigns, and activism of women of colour and immigrant women. Lesbian Feminism Many publications in the 1970s to 1990s carved out space within the feminist movement for lesbian and queer women’s perspectives. These periodicals covered news and campaigns relevant to lesbian women, including the fight for lesbian mothers’ rights. They also highlighted events and shared stories that reflected lesbian women’s experiences. While focused on lesbian issues, these publications existed alongside a variety of other queer publications circulating at the time. Socialist Feminism A wide range of periodicals emerged from socialist feminist organizing, approaching feminist topics with an anti-capitalist, internationalist lens. These publications included news on movements both internationally and within Canada, and frequently featured opinion pieces and critiques of the women’s movement. Rural and Northern Women Women’s organizations in rural and northern communities across Canada produced periodicals that highlighted region-specific issues and campaigns, while also engaging with broader feminist activism nationwide. Women and Labour A broad array of periodicals emerged from the feminist labour movement, reporting on women workers, union organizing, strikes, affirmative action, equal pay, and workplace harassment. Some, such as Domestic Cross Cultural News, focused on organizing against the discrimination experienced by foreign, immigrant and racialized women workers, while others, such as Wages for Housework, campaigned for recognition of women’s work in the family. Health, Disability, and Reproductive Justice Publications on disability, health, and reproductive rights were a crucial way for women to circulate information that was not widely available at the time and often stigmatized. Many of these periodicals were wide-ranging in the subjects they covered, while others focused on specific issues such as abortion rights, disability, or campaigns on women’s health-related issues. Additional materials on health and reproductive rights can be found in the issues section in the menu bar. View Rise Up’s digital exhibit on Disability Women’s Activism. Arts and Culture Feminist publications also emerged to showcase artistic and cultural expressions grounded in women’s experiences. Arts and culture publications uplifted and provided a platform for women’s artwork and cultural production, which often reflected political messaging and feminist ideas. Education Many campus women’s groups produced their own periodicals featuring news updates, opinions, and organizing work, while others were not directly linked to an educational institution but served as forums for the work of feminist educators, scholars, graduate students, and researchers on women’s experiences and concerns. Still others addressed gendered education policies and practices and promoted equality of access and equal opportunities in learning. Feminist Bookstores Women’s bookstores have played an essential role in supporting feminist presses and publications in Canada. Not only did they allow for more efficient distribution of feminist books and periodicals, they were important community sites that held events and supported women writers. Explore some of the many feminist bookstores of the era below. Toronto Women’s Bookstore The Toronto Women’s Bookstore began in 1973 as a small book corner located in The Women’s Place. The Women’s Place was a women’s centre and feminist organizing space in Toronto, founded in 1972. When The Women’s Place closed, the Toronto Women’s Bookstore was established as an official bookstore carrying a selection of non-fiction, fiction, and non-sexist children’s books, as well as a growing number of feminist periodicals. On July 29th, 1983, there was an attempted firebombing of the Morgentaler Abortion Clinic located above the bookstore. The fire caused severe damage to the bookstore, forcing a relocation from 85 Harbord Street to 73 Harbord Street. The staff and community came together, rallying and raising funds for the relocation of the bookstore. In the late 1980s, Mona Oikawa and Sharon Fernandez developed a Women of Colour Bibliography, helping to prioritize the inclusion of books by Black, Indigenous, and Women of Colour authors at the store. This followed earlier efforts by Pauline Peters who shared her experiences of racism as the first Black woman hired at the Toronto Women’s Bookstore in Our Lives – Vol. 2, Issue 2/3 – July/September 1987. The Toronto Women’s Bookstore also served as a vibrant community space, regularly hosting events such as book launches and readings. Ultimately, the bookstore was forced to close its doors in 2012, after nearly four decades of operation. The rapidly changing book industry had made it difficult for independent stores to compete with online retailers and large chains. Northern Woman’s Bookstore Founded in 1984, the Northern Woman’s Bookstore was located in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The bookstore was created after conversations with the Northern Woman Journal Collective revealed the demand for feminist literature in the region. The bookstore carried a selection of books by women, Indigenous authors, and local authors. In addition to making feminist publications accessible to the public, the Northern Woman’s Bookstore hosted book launches, writing groups, workshops, and music events. The bookstore closed its doors in 2016, following the death of co-founder Margaret Phillips. CORA – The Women’s Bookmobile CORA – The Women’s Bookmobile was a travelling bookstore, women’s centre, and resource centre. See their flyer from 1974 outlining their summer schedule. Some of the many other feminist bookstores of that era for which Rise Up does not yet have archival materials are listed below. If you can help us fill these gaps and others, please get in touch. Vancouver Women’s Bookstore The Vancouver Women’s Bookstore was a non-profit bookstore that carried a large selection of feminist fiction and non-fiction, women’s periodicals, informational pamphlets, and non-sexist children’s books. Run by volunteer labour, the bookstore also provided women crucial support and information related to health, legal, and housing services in Vancouver. Common Woman Books Common Woman Books was a feminist bookstore in Edmonton, Alberta, that carried fiction and non-fiction, lesbian literature, and non-sexist children’s books. This advertisement was featured in Womonspace News, a periodical by the Womonspace lesbian social events group in Edmonton. Advertisements were one way that presses, bookstores, and publications spread the word and supported one another. Everywoman’s Books Established in 1975, Everywoman’s Books was a women’s bookstore located in Victoria, British Columbia. They carried a selection of books on women’s health, fiction, feminist theory, and more. Red Herring Co-Op Books Located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Red Herring Cooperative Books, also known as Red Herring Co-op Books, was a progressive bookstore that carried a range of books on social change. Their selection included feminist fiction and non-fiction, periodicals, gay and lesbian literature, and much more. Feminist Events A number of gatherings took place in the 1970s and 1980s that brought together women in the feminist publishing scene to share skills and learn from one another. Check out just a few of these pivotal events. Canadian Feminist Periodicals Conference The 1985 Canadian Feminist Periodicals Conference took place in Montreal, Quebec, with representatives from 35 feminist periodicals in attendance. The conference created a space for networking, skill-sharing workshops, and collectively strategizing around threats to the future of feminist publishing. Previous Canadian Feminist Periodicals Conferences occurred in 1974, 1975, and 1980. International Feminist Book Fair The Third International Feminist Book Fair took place in Montreal, Quebec, in June 1988. Over six days, the Book Fair brought feminist writers, publishers, editors, booksellers, distributors, and translators together from around the world. Forty-five countries were represented, providing women a unique opportunity to network and gain international perspectives from panel discussions and readings. Previous iterations of the event took place in London, England and Oslo, Norway. Women and Words Conference The first Women and Words/Les femmes et les mots conference was held in 1983, bringing together women writers, publishers, reviewers, translators, and booksellers for networking and skill-building. However, the conference also reflected tensions within the feminist movement. A 1986 issue of Northern Woman Journal published an open letter from Black women and women of colour on the organizing committee. The open letter details the racism they encountered in their efforts to increase representation of marginalized writers, which were met with resistance from white women on the committee. Ultimately, in 1986, Black women and women of colour withdrew from the organizing team. National Feminist Print Media Conference The National Feminist Print Media Conference provided a space to share knowledge, exchange experiences, and discuss the challenges of sustaining feminist periodical publishing. A recurring theme at the Summer 1980 conference was the issue of funding (or lack thereof). This French-language newsletter from the event also notes the closure of two Canadian feminist periodicals: Upstream and Branching Out.
