Blaze: the intimate vision of feminism - Volume 2, Number 4, June 1986 Page: 2
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from the editor
"Light up the windows of the new house
daughters. Let them blaze!"
Virginia WoolfLINDA BERMAN
There are a number of things I want to discuss with you, but first
I want to bring up a very important practical matter. It has
become clear that Blaze needs a team of people to work on
advertising-it is too much for just one person. Sheri Gilmore has
done such a wonderful job these past few months. But summer-
time is her busiest time for her own business, and she won't be
able to devote the time to Blaze that she has in the past.
Moreover, this one woman feels a burden of responsibility to
bring in money for each issue (advertising is our greatest source
of revenue) that is almost overwhelming. I have tried to convince
her not to worry about it, but she's too conscientious for that. She
feels this responsibility so keenly that I have finally had to insist
that she not actively solicit any more advertising until we have a
team of women to work with her. Two women have already told
me that they would be glad to help if there are 2 or 3 more of us to
work with-they, quite rightly, don't want the burden of this
responsibility either. What this means in practical terms is a few
hours, not days, of work a month. If you'd be interested in being a
part of this team, please give Sheri a call at 214-827-7380-make
it conditional if you like: only if there are 6 people, only the month
of July, etc. We would appreciate it more than you know.
You'll notice a new section in Blaze this month: Responses.
From now on, those who are moved to respond to a piece in a
former issue of Blaze can look for their responses in this section. I
am delighted to see Blaze becoming more a forum for all our dif-
fering ideas. Remember, if you disagree (or even, heaven forbid,
if you agree) with what you see on these pages, you don't have to
suffer in silence-Blaze welcomes your ideas as well. One very
)quent response to B. Ruth Rinehart's article last month will not,
fortunately, be seen in this issue. Which brings me to the next
,ic of discussion-the issue of anonymity.
perhapss no other issue has stirred more discussion, disagree-
int, and ambivalence than that of whether we should accept
manuscripts with partial names, initials, pseudonyms, maiden
names-any name other than the full name by which one is
known in the world. I understand and appreciate both sides. It
has been argued that inflexibility on this matter reeks of the inflex-
ibility of patriarchy, that we are losing a lot of real truth as well as
good writing by making this a condition of being published. While
that may be true, it is also a fact that many articles you have seen
in these pages were written by people who had preferred to use a
pseudonym, who had very good reasons for wanting to do so,
but who nevertheless decided to put themselves on the line and
claim what they wrote. To make exceptions now, they argue, is
simply not fair.
We received two responses this month with incomplete names:
one to Ruth's article, signed "M.C.," and one to something I had
written, signed "Anna." It was my impulse to go ahead and print
both, as the exception that proves the rule, stating that from here
on out, we would insist on real names. I especially wanted to print
the criticism concerning something I had written, not only
because it was an eloquent and accurate criticism, but also
because I wanted to establish the precedent that it is both ap-
propriate and desirable to criticize the editor. No way, the other
writers said, that's just not a good enough reason. I finally had to
agree: if it's a condition for some of us, it's a condition for us all.
Luckily, I was able to track down "Anna" and she agreed to use
her real name, Anita Widows. I called every "M.C." I knew, but
no luck there. So, M.C., if you are reading this, if you will sendyour full name next month, I will print your response in the next
issue of Blaze. If you choose not to, I will save this piece, along
with other similar pieces I receive, for the October "Anonymous
Was a Woman" issue of Blaze.
A few more words on submissions. You must enclose a self-
addressed stamped envelope if you want your manuscript re-
turned, or comments. Please also include a phone number or ad-
dress where you can be reached should I need to discuss your
ms. with you. Also, and this is rather like the mother forgetting to
tell the children please don't eat the daisies, please use both caps
and lower-case letters in your double-spaced typed manuscript. If
it's all in caps, as one was last month, it takes a lot of time to mark
each word for typesetting.
As I've said before, what I'm looking for is powerful writing with
authentic encounter-it makes little or no difference whether I
agree with what you've said.
One last thing. Both Marilyn Sewell and I thought something
should be said about her piece "Southern Comfort." This piece
will hurt you. A lot. Having issued this caution, I say also that it's
time we talked about this-what the piece is about both in reality
and metaphorically. Simone's words bear repeating once again:
The anti-sexist struggle attacks in each one of us what is most in-
timate and what seemed the most secure. It challenges our
desires, the very forms of our pleasure. Let us not retreat in front
of this challenge; beyond the suffering that it may provoke in us, it
will destroy some of our shackles, it will open us up to new truths.
Let us hear from you. Q
O'Connor&White
RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
JOHNCY MUNDO
1616 Abrams Rd.
Dallas, Texas 75214
Bus. 214/828-0808
Res. 214/827-6305
PWHOLOG 4L
SCvH EiS
MARTI KRANZBERG, M.A., DIRECTOR
4054 McKinney #212 Dallas, Texas 75204
(214) 522-29972
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Berman, Linda; Komechak, Kim; Johnson, Paula; Gibson, Sue; St. Germain, Sheryl; Gilmore, Sheri et al. Blaze: the intimate vision of feminism - Volume 2, Number 4, June 1986, pamphlet, June 1986; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1484080/m1/4/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.