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For all you Substackers, prolific journalers, or anyone who wants to share their stories: we are open to pitches!
What are we looking for: Any personal writing with a casual tone. Some examples: a day or week in the life, a behind-the-scenes look on a project you are working on, or a stream of consciousness piece. Anything outside the box is highly encouraged. Remember, the personal tone is what differentiates this from other Sinister Wisdom publications.
What we are not looking for:
Works of fiction: Hyperbole is more than welcome, but must be rooted in fact.
Traditional reviews: You can go visit our friends at Wild Shrew Literary Review for that.
Academic works: While posts can relate to academia, they should not be academic in nature.
How to pitch: Email blog@sinisterwisdom.org with any pitches or inquiries. Feel free to send a paragraph describing what you would like to write about, or full pieces for consideration.
We here at the Sinister Wisdom Blog look forward to hearing from you!
Featurette Navigator
Find featured articles from the Sinister Snapshot!
Our Dyke Histories Podcast | Blog Posts
Categories: Poetry | Personal Narrative | Interviews | Archive | In Memoriam
Latest Blog Posts:
Scroll horizontally to explore our blog.
Queer Friendship in a New York Minuteby M. Rosenberg
The Price of Freedom, or Sugar for the RevolutionSept. 14, 2026, Odessa, Ukraineby Anastasia
Longing for an archive of one’s ownLoverBoyButch and online lesbian archivesby Tanya
Butchfemme representation through the television show Arcaneby Sudeeksha Dasari
Sinister & Unwisea new slice of life dyke formatby Dot Persica
A Speculative History of the Sinister Wisdom TypographyFeaturette 96by Julie R. Enszer
Fighting for Feminist Spaces and Against ViolenceFeaturette 95by Sam Carter
A eulogy for Beth Marschakby her friend Mary Dean Carter
Mock’s Convenience | Montreal Pride TravelogueWe drove three hundred miles for Pride, even though we didn't have to.by Avery Weber
“When Someone Dies”: Lesbians and Memory WorkFeaturette 102by Julie R. Enszer
a late bloomer's guide to chaotic lesbianismAn ode to my messy dating life.by sparrow Gore
Getting 2 Know Song of Sapphoby Kayla Michelle Pisano
stayA poemby Debra Anderson
An Intergenerational Visit to Nett HartFeaturette 101by Ella Stern
Butch-Femme in NYC’s Greenwich Village, 1940s-1960sDyke Bar* Historyby Jack Jen Gieseking with Michaela Hayes and Mel Whitesell
Leslie Feinberg in Buffalo, 1960sDyke Bar* Historyby Jack Jen Gieseking with Michaela Hayes and Mel Whitesell
Audre Lorde in NYC’s Greenwich Village, 1950s-1960sDyke Bar* Historyby Jack Jen Gieseking with Michaela Hayes and Mel Whitesell
Mona’s Candle Light in San Francisco, 1950Dyke Bar* Historyby Jack Jen Gieseking with Michaela Hayes and Mel Whitesell
Lily Hu in San Francisco, 1954Dyke Bar* Historyby Jack Jen Gieseking with Michaela Hayes and Mel Whitesell
The Beebo Brinker Chronicles, 1957-1962Dyke Bar* Historyby Jack Jen Gieseking with Michaela Hayes and Mel Whitesell
Report from Lesbian Lives in Cork, IrelandFeaturette 100by Sam Carter
Dyke Bar* History as Told by Beebo, Lily, Audre, Leslie, Alix, & Mona: 1940s-1960s“The 40s-60s turned the volume way up on danger, desire, and dyke ingenuity.”by Jack Jen Gieseking with Michaela Hayes and Mel Whitesell
In Minneapolis, new lesbian bar aims to create community, inclusivity, and abundanceFeaturette 99by Ella Stern
Mandy Wallace: Artists with Early Work in Sinister WisdomFeaturette 98by Izzy Drake
Print Print Print: Luddites, Archives, Zines, and StuffA few months ago, I met the luddites.by Jade Smith
The QuantiesGuncle: A homosexual uncle. Every family usually has one of these.by Laurie Drabble
Then and Now: Did it Get Better?"What does being sexually active mean to you?”by Mickey Eliason
Dyke Bar* History: 1920s-1930s #3Harlem rent partiesby Jack Gieseking & the Our Dyke Histories podcast team
Here's to Hellas and Hair Serumsby Kara Zajac, author of The Significance of Curly Hair: A Loving Memoir of Life and Loss
Dyke Bar* History: 1920s-1930s #2Le Monocle, Paris, 1932by Jack Gieseking & the Our Dyke Histories podcast team
Lesbian Films and Media: Curating the Lesbian Lives Film FestivalInterview with Meghan McDonoughby Mel Oliver
Dyke Bar* History: 1920s-1930s #1Eve’s Hangout, Greenwich Village, 1926by Jack Gieseking & the Our Dyke Histories podcast team
Notes From a Wildly Intense and Sensitive Sapphic #1Racism, patriarchal and transphobic ideology walk hand in hand.by sparrow Gore
Dyke Bar* History: 1920s-1930s Reading GuideA reading guide for the decades.by Jack Gieseking & the Our Dyke Histories podcast team
October 9, 2025Though bittersweet, Barbara still walks the trail in memory of what they shared and what she’s lost.by Barbara Johnson
A Week in the LifeLeather means we take care of each other and we stay with each other.by Chastity Vale
onFrom the typewriter,the floorA non-fiction poemby Quintessence
A Day in the Life of a Middle-Eastern SapphicWhat if? What if there was still love, and what if I am able to explore it with no limitations or boundaries?by Nujoom Al-Layali
Butch Is Not a Dirty Word x Sinister WisdomInterview with Esther Godoyby Li-Anne Wright
in reflections"water, be my memory" & "loving the bone mother"by angel bista
Saturday at Clark Park"The air felt like kinship, vibrant and joyful and defiant."by Mel Oliver
Master's Diaries No. 1Sappho, lesbian musicology, and nuns, oh my!by Sydney Minor
“Would you go to the restroom with me, please?”A meditation on the iconic three-panel comic entitled Nature’s Call by Jennifer Camperby Ellen D.B. Riggle, PhD
A Week in the LifeRunning a Queer Small Pressby Clare Lagomarsino
$8 Love AffairWhy My Sapphic Ride-or-Die Costs Less Than Lunchby Mel Oliver
The Blog ButtonIntroducing the New Sinister Wisdom Blogby Sydney Minor
Blog Archive
Biographies of Summer 2022 Remote Interns Ivy Marie, Bell Beecher Pitkin, Sydney Schmidt,
& Non-Residential Creative Endeavors Fellow Caitlin Abadir-Mullally (kt)
On the archive:
Announcement of the Digital Archive of Sinister Wisdom 1976-2000
Research made possible with Sinister Wisdom archives
On lesbian-feminist media:
Imagining Lesbian Futures: A provocation by Julie R. Enszer
What to do with Beloved Lesbian-Feminist Books
Statement on the Cover Art for Sinister Wisdom 107
Reflecting Back was a series of interviews to commemorate Sinister Wisdom 98: Landykes of the South and the challenges and pride that came with editing it.
Reflecting Back: Interview with Alexis Clements
Reflecting Back: Interview with Red Washburn
Reflecting Back: Interview with Joan Nestle and Yasmin Tambiah
Reflecting Back: Interview with Merril Mushroom, Rose Norman, and Kate Ellison
Reviews:
Review of Bar Dykes by Merril Mushroom
Rainbow Williams Reviews Sinister Wisdom 93
Review of Elana Dykewomon's Sapphic Classic
Huffington Post Book Review by Janet Mason
Coalition-building:
Free Marissa Now!
If you would like to view the old Sinister Wisdom blog, please see this page.
Nominations & Awards from Sinister Wisdom
2023 Pushcart Prize Nominations
2021 Pushcart Prize Nominations
2020 Pushcart Prize Nominations
2019 Pushcart Prize Nominations
2018 Pushcart Prize Nominations
2017 Pushcart Prize Nominations
2016 Pushcart Prize Nominations
2016 Awards from Rainbow Williams
Independent Best American Poetry Nominations
2015 Pushcart Prize Nominations
2013 Pushcart Prize Nominations
2012 Pushcart Prize Nominations
In Memoriam
Beth Marschak (1951-2026)
Gail Frances "Bonnie" Netherton (1945-2026)
Remembering Bonnie Netherton (1945-2026)
Dorothy Allison (1947-2024)
Sue Parker "Rainbow" Williams (1934-2022)
Joyce Trebilcot (1933-2009)
Mary Daly (1928-2010)
Frances Ann Day (1942-2010)
"Empowerment comes from ideas."
― Charlene Carruthers
"Your silence will not protect you."
— Tourmaline
"Gender is the poetry each of us makes out of the language we are taught."
— Leila Raven