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Women in the off our backs collective are (from top counterclockwise) Melissa Rodgers, Karla Mantilla, Jennie Ruby, Laura Butterbaugh, Jess Hobbs and Carol Anne Douglas. The feminist publication, always a safe place for queer voices, is struggling to stay in existence. (Blade photo by Henry Linser)
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‘Save Our Backs,’ a benefit for off our backs
Sunday at 7:30 p.m.
DC Arts Center (2438 18th St., N.W.)
$12 (tickets sold at the door)
For more information, visit www.dcartscenter.org. Those interested in
volunteering for off our backs, write to oob@offourbacks.org. For more information, visit www.offourbacks.org.
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HOME > ENTERTAINMENT > FEATURE
By: EMILY WAGNER COMMENTS
 
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other feminist-related publications —”Feminist Collections: A Quarterly of Women’s Students Resources” and “New Books on Women, Gender and Feminism” — are still in print; they have been available in commercial online databases for 14 years and in the case of “Feminist Collections,” all back issues are available at no charge.
With no printing costs, active feminist blogs like the Feminist Review, (feministreview.blogspot.com), a collective blog featuring more than 400 writers, and Feministing (www.feministing.com), with a host of profiles on Facebook, Flickr and YouTube, maintain an active community with daily updates.
In addition to making decisions about redesigning their old web site, launching a new subscription plan and throwing a farewell party, the oob staff has been busy putting together the fall issue, which they hope to have out in time for the “Save Our Backs” event.
On the web, oob has been able to stay true to its pioneering tradition and create an accessible platform for feminists from all of the charted and uncharted corners of the global feminist network. oob invites articles in any form — most are submitted via e-mail but typed or neatly handwritten articles are welcome.
This issue, titled “Women and Peace,” features articles from all over the world and includes a piece from a group of women in the northeastern corner of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“It’s a wonderful analysis about peace as a state of nonviolent living, not just the absence of war,” says Douglas, who emphasized the importance of the editor’s note following the story. “These women wrote for oob from a village where there is no electric power. They had to travel to Uganda to submit their piece via e-mail.”
Online, feminist ideas and discussion can be circulated beyond the old distribution hotspots — university libraries and feminist bookstores — and can expand to feminists who live outside a typically urban setting. Women who live in rural areas can access feminist-related information and can be a part of the movement from their local or home computer.
Until the collective decides what its next step is, however, oob will continue into the fall as a print periodical.
“We hope to get some kind of attention,” says Mantilla. “With more energy, we can keep going for another 40 years.”
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