Forever Feminists: Feminists at 84 and 29
This week, we’re continuing our celebration of “forever feminists” with a special pairing. Judith Gold Stitzel is a longtime friend of Feminist Press who chose to support Feminist Press's 2026 apprenticeship program with a generous gift, and whose passion for intergenerational feminism inspired this project. Monique Lowe is an editorial assistant at HarperCollins who started her publishing career with an apprenticeship at FP in 2023.
Join feminist champions Judith and Monique by making a donation to Feminist Press!
Judith Gold Stitzel
Why do you think Feminist Press is important?
What came to mind immediately was the speed with which it kept in touch with change. We would get announcements about the new books, and almost immediately they were from different countries, different ethnicities, different genders. It was the earliest reaching beyond where anything else might still be. It pushed you deeper into yourself and further out. That was almost from the beginning. There was energy; it was energy and confidence and a quality of conviction, I think. I really associate Florence with a lot of this, with bravery. Things that would move people even further than they think they might go. I always felt that energy—and courage. I never felt that anyone was saying “Oh, that would be nice to publish, but we’re not ready.” It was always ready to publish the next book, take the next risk, try out the next thing. With a strong sense of confidence and commitment and a sense of no apology, no “This is too far out, this is too new, maybe we better not.” There were many people, not only Florence, but that’s part of what we got from Florence.
What brought you to Feminist Press? How did you first learn about the Press?
I’m sure I learned about the Press from Florence Howe. I was involved in feminist things before the Press. I was part of the College Composition and Communication Journal for writing; I was already a faculty member; I was a very young faculty member in a job I kept until I retired at West Virginia University. Florence may have been on the board of one of the earlier groups, but I knew her at the same time the Press began. I was living in West Virginia already by then, but I was born in New York. (I wonder how many people from how many states were involved with the Press—How wide is the geography?) I remember the exchange of early emails about the Press, small groups of people getting together. I was on the advisory board at one of the earliest times. I would have met Florence through working on similar issues. I see her on the stage at the Modern Language Association—she was beginning to have that wonderful swath of white hair. She didn’t have that when I first knew her, but it developed soon after.
What does feminism mean to you?
I remember an early class that I taught, I think it was in women’s literature, when I was still a very new teacher. It might have been on images of women in literature, or women writers. It was one of the courses we were still teaching pre–women’s studies. I invited someone from the psychology department who was beginning to teach about women in psychology to give a talk in the class. She used the word “feminism” and it made me nervous. I remember feeling nervous; I don’t remember whether I asked her at the time not to use the word, but it wasn’t long before I felt my own cowardliness. But I also admitted it. I was fearful, and it was brave.
To me, feminism is associated with activism. You don’t have to be a woman or of any particular gender, but it’s an active not only participation in, but acknowledgment of and willingness to struggle toward more than equality. Equality is big, it’s important, but feminism had a lot of energy, a willingness to step beyond what at the time seemed allowable. Strength—not combativeness, but energy. Equality never seemed enough. It seemed to make everything the same rather than everybody rising. It wasn’t a term that energized me as feminism did. Women’s equality is important, but of course. Feminism is like, maybe we need to remind people a bit. It crossed all ages; you didn’t need to be a particular age, didn’t need to be female, but you needed to realize that it did take strength and courage and an awareness that there would be pushback. It was like learning how to leap over the fear that was imposed by oppression. It did have that sense of, it wasn’t a completely neutral term. It had that sense that you needed to push back, and it took courage.
Has your relationship to feminism changed over your lifetime? If so, how?
In some ways it feels like, Of course! In normalizing it, sometimes I think it doesn’t pack the wallop it needs to. It’s like, “Oh yes, feminism.” It’s an “of course.” I think it needs refreshing, a reminder that it could be fun. If someone were to say to me “Are you a feminist?” now, there’d be no hesitation. If they say “Well, why?” I’d want to think—not because I’m worried that I’m not, but I don’t know immediately what to say that would either educate or energize or, if necessary, defend. It’s not enough for me to be able to say yes, I want to be able to say more.
I haven’t used the expression “feminist movement” for a while. What do we mean by that? Is it a term that’s used that much anymore? Are there beginning and ending dates? We certainly didn’t figure it all out. I certainly felt part of a feminist movement. I directed a center for women’s studies. Men could be feminists, they could even be part of the feminist movement, but it changed when we felt the need to make it women and gender studies. And of course, now, what a time to be doing this project with the pushback we’re all facing.
There was fun, there was a lot of fun and wonderful wildness and rudeness. I haven’t spoken much about the joyfulness of it and the courage that was both necessary and valued. I want to feel it again.
What did you learn from the feminists who came before you?
Courage to acknowledge both feelings and thoughts that might still have been on the edge. I go back to history, to women’s getting the vote and marching. A lot of gratitude, a lot of courage. Occasional embarrassment for not being as strong. A wake-up. Gratitude, in a big way. That otherwise I might have missed it somehow.
What would you like younger generations of feminists to know about the movement and its history?
Listen to themselves and write. Even if you don’t want to be writers, keep journals, keep diaries. Not to be afraid, and to laugh as much as you can.
Monique Lowe
Why do you think Feminist Press is important?
FP is publishing so many cool and groundbreaking stories it’s hard to imagine how they’re not important. As someone who is always on the lookout for translated fiction, I love to see what’s next on their list or what their backlist consists of and all the fresh narratives they’re exposing to the public. The books they are publishing are transformative, as a reader, and are telling stories in ways not usually told and I think that’s what a lot of readers are looking for.
What brought you to Feminist Press? How did you first learn about the Press?
I read The Iliac Crest by Cristina Rivera Garza in 2022 and it was such a visceral reading experience and unlike anything I had read up to that point and I wanted to know more about who was publishing writers and stories like that so I looked up Feminist Press and followed them on social media.
What does feminism mean to you?
To me, feminism is all-encompassing. It’s about everyone’s rights and right to equality and expression. I think it’s also a never-ending learning process, for me at least. I aIways feel like I’m rediscovering it every year when I read more.
Has your relationship to feminism changed over your lifetime? If so, how?
Definitely. When I was younger, in late high school and college, I thought of feminism as a very narrow and rigid movement and I pushed it away because I couldn’t see myself in it. But that’s mainly because I was understanding it from the angle of cis, able-bodied, white feminism. When I began to recognize it in a broader sense, something way more complex and intersectional that includes people from all the various economic, social, sexual and racial cross points, I began to embrace it and understand how feminism can be substantial than what I first thought it was and how necessary it is for us to move forward in society.
What did you learn from the feminists who came before you?
That I must always confront my internal biases and misogyny. Sometimes that is lifelong work but if it’s not done, your feminism is limited.
What would you like younger generations of feminists to know about the movement and its history?
When you learn about feminism, its origins and its progression through history, always think of the people who were left out in the past and think about the people who are left out now. That will inform you in how you can move forward and include everyone who needs to be heard.
Inspired by Judith and Monique’s perspectives? Make a donation to Feminist Press today!
