Sinister Wisdom is a multicultural lesbian literary & art journal that publishes four issues each year. Publishing since 1976, Sinister Wisdom works to create a multicultural, multi-class lesbian space. “Sinister Wisdom seeks to open, consider and advance the exploration of lesbian community issues. Sinister Wisdom recognizes the power of language to reflect our diverse experiences and to enhance our ability to develop critical judgment as lesbians evaluating our community and our world.” For more information, see my interview with Editor Julie R. Enszer with a link to submission guidelines below.

HOPKINSON: How/why was Sinister Wisdom originally started?

ENSZER: In 1976, the cofounders of Sinister Wisdom had two pressing questions: “How does a woman survive when she steps out from the death process of patriarchy? How does she think without thinking ‘their’ thoughts, dreaming ‘their’ dreams, repeating ‘their’ patterns?” Using these questions as a guide, Catherine Nicholson and Harriett Desmoines created a flyer that said, “We’re trying to answer the questions in our own lives and finding only hints and clues so we decided to make a space to attract other clues, other attempts at living and thinking past the patriarchy.” It was lesbian-feminism in action: they saw something that needed doing and they just did it.

For five years, Nicholson and Desmoines edited and published Sinister Wisdom, producing sixteen issues, approximately three a year. When fatigue set in from the intense work that Sinister Wisdom required, they passed the journal on to Adrienne Rich and Michelle Cliff, beginning a tradition of passing the editorial and business control of the journal on to other editors. The tradition continues to this day. For over forty years, editors, supported by vibrant groups of volunteers, have published Sinister Wisdom, often quarterly, sometimes three times a year, some years less frequently. In 1991, after fifteen years of operating as a small business (generally at a loss), Elana Dykewomon oversaw the application for nonprofit status; since then Sinister Wisdom has continued with support from not only subscriptions, but also charitable donations.

I took over as the editor of Sinister Wisdom in 2010 so I have been working with the journal for over a decade now. It is one of the great pleasures of my life.

HOPKINSON: Who is your target reader audience?

ENSZER: We have a diverse audience of lesbians, queer women, and nonbinary people that spans many generations.

HOPKINSON: What type of work are you looking for?  

ENSZER: Sinister Wisdom are always looking for works from voices that speak of the diversity of the lesbian experience: lesbians of color, Jewish lesbians, Arab lesbians, trans lesbians, old and young lesbians, working class lesbians, poverty class lesbians, butch lesbians, femme lesbians, disabled lesbians, fat lesbians, all lesbians … However their creativity manifests – in writing and art, we want to see it.

HOPKINSON: What do you wish you’d see submitted, but rarely comes in?

ENSZER: Sinister Wisdom always can use more artwork. We publish black and white art work inside the journal and full-color art on the cover. In addition, we do an annual calendar and I often do freebies that we stuff in the journal: postcards, stickers, birthday cards, etc. I love see artwork in the submission queue – and often respond quickly!

HOPKINSON: What are some of your favorite lit mags/journals?

ENSZER: I try to read widely. Regularly in my reading stack are Foglifter, The Gay & Lesbian Review, Poetry Magazine, Georgia Review, Scalawag (when they were still in print!), Women’s Review of Books, and Oxford American all occur to me as I type this.

HOPKINSON: What is your favorite part of being on staff with Sinister Wisdom?

ENSZER: It is a pleasure to work on a journal committed to lesbian voices and lesbian visibility, and it is an honor to steward a journal that has been publishing continuously since 1976. Sinister Wisdom has a long history. I really revel in both publishing each quarterly issue of the journal and also looking at what has been published in the past.

HOPKINSON: Where can we send submissions?

ENSZER: Send submissions in at https://sinisterwisdom.submittable.com/submit!

HOPKINSON: If someone has a question, how can they contact you?

ENSZER: julie@sinisterwisdom.org 

Click here to read submission guidelines.