The Printing Press: A Spring Edition
An introduction.
The written catalogue of the human experience is exponentially growing, or in other words, the materials to learn about all that contextualizes our lives today are more expansive than ever before. Yet there is a common notion among feminists that women’s stories have quietly fallen outside of these margins. I would argue that despite our confident voices, women’s stories have instead been met with indifference at best and vitriol at worst; the rampant literary censorship in the United States serves to exacerbate this reality.
In the 2022-2023 school year, ten out of the eleven most challenged books were written by women or non binary individuals, and 17% of challenged novels contained mention of sexual assault and abortion, which disproportionately affect women. This statistic does not serve to just ignore the female perspective, but to actively assert that our stories are not in the best interest of Americans to be taught.
Womanhood is not an isolated identity; censoring women leads to the further suppression of people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and other marginalized identities working in tandem with womanhood. At The Printing Press, and as a woman myself, I believe that it is imperative to give a voice to any woman struggling to maintain one on their own. I hope that the issue below can showcase even a fraction of what it means to be a woman and what we can endure despite this.
— Powell Sherrod, Editor in Chief
“Never forget that it only takes a political, economic, or religious crisis for women’s rights to be called into question. These rights can never be taken for granted. You must remain vigilant throughout your life.”
ode - sonnet - free verse - ballad -
ode - sonnet - free verse - ballad -
Poetry
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ode - sonnet - free verse - ballad -
By Tatiana Noizy
By Gwenna Cochrane Halinda
By Anisah Bibi
By Abi Jo Shoaff
By Yana Trifonova
vignettes - short stories - essays -
vignettes - short stories - essays -
Fiction: vignettes, short stories, and essays
vignettes - short stories - essays -
vignettes - short stories - essays -
By Danielle Erickson
By Ella Harrington
By Ebube Maduekwe
By Amelia Foti
READ!
READ!
Female Writer Highlights
READ!
READ!
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Who: A french feminist author and philosopher
Fun Fact: Considered a founder of second wave feminism
Most Notable Work: The Second Sex
Personal Favorite: The Woman Destroyed
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Who: An African American author
Fun Fact: The first Black woman to win a Nobel Prize in Literature
Most Notable Work: Beloved
Personal Favorite: The Song of Solomon
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Who: A queer, African American playwright
Fun Fact: First ever Black Woman to have a play shown on Broadway
Most Notable Work: A Raisin in the Sun
Personal Favorite: A Raisin in the Sun
the cover photo of this issue is from Britannica
