The purpose of the Queen’s Feminist Review, according to its introduction, is to “present literary and artistic pieces that are challenging, provocative, personal and political in order to represent the multiplicity of voices and perspectives of the feminist experience.” Those are lofty ambitions for a 64-page anthology, which makes the accomplishment of the contributors and editors of the Queen’s Feminist Review even more impressive.
The Queen’s Feminist Review is an annual anthology of poetry, artwork, short stories and essays representing the feminist perspective in its many different forms. Taking up the vast majority of this year’s edition is poetry, which may perhaps frighten away those readers with stereotypical conceptions of what feminist poetry may be—those readers who expect it to be punctuated with either male-bashing or prayers to the Earth Mother will be pleasantly surprised. The poems in general are subtle and affecting, covering a range of subject matter including sex, body image, violence, aging, death, creativity, family, religion and relationships, showing the incredible diversity of the feminine experience. “Churches” by Katherine Laidlaw, for example, manages to begin as a poem about ordinary student life, turn into a poem about the romance of religion, and end as a poem about a refusal to give in to violence. Other poems are more singular in subject matter, but their focus manages to capture the essence of particular experiences perfectly. “An Apron” and “A Suitor” by Angela Hickman express the complex and ever-changing perceptions of a mother by her daughter. “No Help” by Laurie Lewis offers a poignant description of aging and regret in just 18 lines, ending with one of the most arresting images in the entire collection.
Venturing into socially conscious—and perhaps more obviously feminist—territory are Morgan Vanek with “A Time-Sensitive Matter” and Mary Katherine Carr with “Smart Girl.” The former poem addresses the problem of pharmacists who refuse, for ethical or religious reasons, to distribute emergency contraceptives over the counter. The structure of the poem—the stanzas are situated progressively closer to the left as the poem progresses—conveys a sense of urgency, as if time will run out if the poem does not end before it veers entirely off the page. It also creates, with the language, a sense of disted, racing thoughts that are contrasted with the calm, matter-of-fact demeanour of the withholding pharmacist. The latter poem touches on the tendency of smart girls to suppress their intelligence in order to appear non-threatening to men—a tendency that demonstrates the continuing significance of publications like the Queen’s Feminist Review.
The Queen’s Feminist Review contains one short fiction piece: “China” by Grace O’Connell. “China” is an intriguing character study of a man who cannot get over his last relationship. It differs from the other written pieces not only in genre but in being told from the point of view of an explicitly male protagonist. The story contains some mildly explicit sexual content, but fortunately doesn’t fall into the common mistake of appearing to be trying too hard to be controversial. The story’s plot is quite ambiguous, but its strength is in its intricate character development, rare for a story of its length. The single non-fiction prose piece in the Queen’s Feminist Review is “Homo Adorans: Being a Lesbian Catholic” by Alexandra Caldwell. The short essay discusses the author’s reasons for remaining a member of the Catholic Church despite its release of a document banning men with “deep homosexual tendencies” from the priesthood. Rather than coming across as a piece of liberal indignation, as the opening sentence may suggest, “Homo Adorans,” challenges readers’ knee-jerk political and religious biases and asks them to look at things from a point of view they have likely never considered before. The result is one of the most interesting and surprising pieces in the collection.
Interspersed between the literary works are eight pieces of student artwork. The pieces include photography, collage, sketching, and paintings. Each is quite beautiful. The artwork is published in full, bold colours, making it even more striking when one comes across it after having gotten used to looking at black words printed on white pages.
Overall, the Queen’s Feminist Review is one of the most enjoyable publications circulated on campus this year. The writing and art are of a consistently high quality. The overall presentation is attractive and easy to read. Don’t let the name scare you. The best way to approach this publication, and feminism in general, is with the advice offered by the editors in the introduction: “Keep an open mind and a keen eye.”
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s) in Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be ed, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to [email protected].