Treading Water: How Small Feminist Periodicals Survived a Financial Crisis

In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, America entered a financial recession at the same time as the conservative opposition to the Second Wave organized itself. Feminist periodicals found themselves drowning in a sea of rising postage costs and inflation just as their startup money was running out. My project explores the troubles they faced and the strategies editors used to try to stay afloat during this difficult time. Ultimately, effective volunteer structures, government grants, reader contributions, and quality control helped magazines like Heresies and Conditions survive, while the absence of these caused magazines like Quest to fold.