The F-Word magazine, in its current form, is the result of the contribution of many passionate, hard-working, and talented individuals: editors, writers, artists, visionaries, feminists.
In the Fall of 2005, a group of students came together to fill a gap they saw in the community at Penn. Looking to the past, they found inspiration in the form of Pandora’s Box, a magazine founded ten years earlier, which published literary and visual art created by Penn women for a female audience. To fill the void left behind when Pandora’s Box went out of print, these students began to discuss how to shape and reform the magazine. They set out to involve a larger, more diverse group of both contributors and readers, and to provide a space for the voices and perspectives of women, queer people, people of color, and other ethnic and religious minorities to be heard.
This initiative gave birth to our current publication, The F-Word: A Collection of Feminist Voices. Since then, the magazine has been an outlet for feminist voices—whatever they may look or sound like. Our broader aim, of course, is to share these voices with the world, to raise awareness of feminist issues in our community and foster a dialogue among its members, and ultimately, to drive positive social, political, and cultural change. Our latest issue features a diverse body of voices conveyed across an equally diverse body of mediums—experimental writing, academic writing, poetry, prose, traditional and contemporary art, and more.
In 2016, after a hiatus of five years, Regina Salmons C’18 rebuilt the publication to what it is today. From their beginnings as a small group, rallying for content and funding, the editorial board and number of submissions has greatly expanded. The F-Word team is now three times the size of the original group, and we have increased our output to two publications per year, as well as a blog, which features regularly updated content on current events and issues, media, and more. Our goal for this blog is to provide a broader platform for feminists to speak their minds and provide more immediate commentary on the many obstacles before us in today’s political climate. We are excited by the possibilities for growth that the blog offers, while still maintaining our roots as the sole feminist literary magazine on Penn’s campus.
Feminism is not a solitary movement, but rather a collaborative effort. Progress is the result of numerous small and large efforts, each one an integral step forward on our journey. As we continue to grow as a publication, we gladly welcome your feedback and suggestions. We also invite you to share your own feminist voice by submitting to our future issues and/or to our blog.
The F-Word Magazine 