Onlywomen Press Explained

Onlywomen Press (briefly known as The Women's Press^{[1] [2]}) was a feminist press based in London. It was the only feminist press to be founded by out lesbians, Lilian Mohin, Sheila Shulman, and Deborah Hart. It commenced publishing in 1974 and was one of five notably active feminist publishers in the 1990s.^{[3] [4]}

Onlywomen was unique from other British feminist presses because it both printed and published material. This allowed them to control all parts of the "chain of cultural production"^[5] and to "subsidize publishing activity" by printing books.

Between 1986 and 1988 it published the journal Gossip: A Journal of Lesbian Feminist Ethics.

Writers published in the press often read their work at Gay's the Word bookshop.^[6]

A number of noted lesbian writers published by Onlywomen Press include Anna Livia, Margaret Sloan-Hunter, Jay Taverner, Celia Kitzinger and Sue Wilkinson, Sylvia Martin and Sheila Jeffreys.

Its last book, a children's book, was published in 2010.^[3]

Works published

Fiction

• Book: Livia, Anna. Bulldozer Rising. 1988. Onlywomen Press . 9780906500279. Anna Livia (author).
• Book: Forbes, Caroline. The Needle on Full: Lesbian Feminist Science Fiction. 1985. Onlywomen Press . 978-0906500194. Caroline Forbes.
• Book: Klepfisz, Irena. Different Enclosures: The Poetry and Prose of Irena Klepfisz. 1985. Onlywomen Press . 9780906500170. Irena Klepfisz.
• Book: Livia, Anna. Incidents Involving Warmth: A Collection of Lesbian Feminist Love Stories. 1986.
• Book: Dorcey, Mary. A Noise from the Woodshed. 1989. 9780906500309. Mary Dorcey.
• Book: The Pied Piper: Lesbian Feminist Fiction. Livia. Anna. Mohin. Lilian. 1989. Onlywomen . 9780906500293. Anna Livia (author).
• Book: In and Out of Time: Lesbian Feminist Fiction. 1990. Onlywomen Press . 9780906500378. Duncker. Patricia. Patricia Duncker.
• Book: Natzler, Caroline. Water Wings. 1990. Onlywomen Press . 9780906500385.
• Book: Edwards, Nicky. Stealing Time. 1990. Onlywomen . 9780906500316.
• Book: Arrowsmith, Pat. Many Are Called. 1998. Onlywomen . 978-0906500590. Pat Arrowsmith.
• Book: Dykewomon, Elana. Beyond the Pale: A Novel. 2000. Onlywomen . 9780906500637. Elana Dykewomon.

Poetry

• Book: One Foot on the Mountain: An Anthology of British Feminist Poetry, 1969-1979. 1979. Onlywomen Press Limited . 978-0906500019. Mohin. Lilian.
• Carthew, Natasha (1999) Flash Reckless .
• Book: Dorcey, Mary. Kindling. 1982. Onlywomen Press . 9780906500095. Mary Dorcey. 978-0906500705
• Book: Grahn, Judy. The Work of a Common Woman. 1985. Only women . 9780906500200. Judy Grahn.
• Book: Mohin, Lilian. Beautiful Barbarians: Lesbian Feminist Poetry. 1987. Onlywomen . 9780906500231.
• Book: Namjoshi, Suniti. Because of India: Selected Poems and Fables. 1989. Onlywomen Press . 9780906500330. Suniti Namjoshi.
• Book: Hacker, Marilyn. The Hang-glider's Daughter: New and Selected Poems. 1990. Onlywomen Press . 9780906500361. Marilyn Hacker.
• Book: Foley, Kate. Soft Engineering. 1994. Onlywomen Press . 9780906500514.
• Book: Kendall, Tina. Lightning On My Tongue. 1995. Onlywomen Press . 978-0906500507.
• Book: Dykewomon, Elana. Nothing will be as sweet as the taste. 1995. Onlywomen Press . 0906500575. Elana Dykewomon.
• Book: Not for the Academy: Lesbian Poets. 1999. Onlywomen Press . 9780906500606. Mohin. Lilian.

Nonfiction

• Book: Women Against Violence Against Women. 1985. Onlywomen Press . 0906500168. Rhodes. Dusty. McNeill. Sandra.
• Book: For Lesbians Only: A Separatist Anthology. 1988. Onlywomen . 9780906500286. Lucia Hoagland. Sarah. Sarah Hoagland. Penelope. Julia. Julia Penelope.
• Book: Lesbian Texts and Contexts: Radical Revisions. 1992. Jay. Karla. Karla Jay. Glasgow. Joanne.
• Book: Changing Our Minds: Lesbian Feminism and Psychology. Kitzinger. Celia. Perkins. Rachel. 1993. NYU Press . 9780814746455. Celia Kitzinger and Sue Wilkinson.
• Book: Volcanoes and Pearl Divers: Essays in Lesbian Feminist Studies. 1995. Onlywomen Press . 0906500486. Raitt. Suzanne.
• Book: Menasche, Ann. Leaving the Life: Lesbians, Ex-Lesbians and the Heterosexual Imperative. 1997. Onlywomen . 978-0906500538. registration.
• Book: Martin, Sylvia. Passionate Friends: Mary Fullerton, Mabel Singleton & Miles Franklin. 2001. Onlywomen Press . 9780906500644.

Papers

• Book: Rich, Adrienne. Compulsory heterosexuality and lesbian existence. 1981. 0906500079. Adrienne Rich.
• Book: Leeds Revolutionary Feminist Group. Love Your Enemy?: The Debate Between Heterosexual Feminism and Political Lesbianism. Leeds Revolutionary Feminist Group. 1981. Onlywomen Press . 0906500087.

Notes and References

1. Book: Jeffreys, Sheila. The Lesbian Revolution. Routledge. 2018. 9781138096578. New York. 41–42.
2. Lesbian History Group -Onlywomen Press 2017. Lesbian History Group. 6:00. Wilson. Anna. 3 December 2016. 4 September 2018.
3. Lesbian History Group -Onlywomen Press 2017 . Lesbian History Group . 0:20 . Jeffreys . Sheila . Sheila Jeffreys . 3 December 2016 . 4 September 2018.
4. News: WRITERS' WORLD. . . 23 July 1983 . 20 December 2013 . 14 . National Library of Australia.
5. Murray. Simone Elizabeth. MIXED MEDIA:FEMINIST PRESSES AND PUBLISHING POLITICS IN TWENTIETH-CENTURY BRITAIN. 1999. University College London. pages 218-219.
6. http://onlywomenpress.com/pages/news.html "Onlywomen Press Reading at Gay's the Word"