Sinister Wisdom is hatching a plan for time-travel into the world of lesbian literary arts and politics encapsulated in the 17 issues of Conditions. Sinister Wisdom editor and publisher, Julie R. Enszer, examined Conditions in a scholarly article for American Periodicals. Enszer wrote, “Conditions, self-described as “a magazine of writing by women with an emphasis on writing by lesbians,” is an important periodical in the history of feminist and African American print culture. Conditions published seventeen issues between 1976 and 1990. Initially conceived as a biannual journal, Conditions published annually from 1980 through 1990. Each issue of Conditions contains texts representing multiple genres: poetry, prose, essays, book reviews, and interviews. Four white women (Elly Bulkin, Jan Clausen, Irena Klepfisz, and Rima Shore) founded the journal in Brooklyn, New York; in the early 1980s, the editorial collective reconstituted itself from the white founders into a multiracial, multicultural lesbian collective. During the 1980s, Cheryl Clarke, an African American lesbian, assumed crucial leadership roles at Conditions, serving on the editorial collective from 1982 until 1990. Conditions became a multiracial periodical that provided an important voice and publishing outlet for African American women and lesbians throughout the 1980s.” In spite of the significance of Conditions within the broader lesbian and feminist publishing renaissance of the 1970s and 1980s, little attention has been given to this periodical. This issue of Sinister Wisdom will address that oversight.

Sinister Wisdom invites you to participate in an intergenerational project in conversation with the poetry, fiction, non-fiction writing, and art of Conditions, a grounding publication and the multiracial, anti-imperialist, and internationalist feminist commitments of the collective that published it between 1976 and 1990. Sinister Wisdom calls back to our sister publication, Conditions, by following in the footsteps of the multigenre OUT/LOOK Birth of the Queer Project housed in the San Francisco GLBT History Museum. That project revolves around 38 participants who created work in response to the LGBT periodical OUT/LOOK magazine to celebrate a historical and emergent moment. Another inspirational touchstone for this special issue of Sinister Wisdom is Octavia's Brood -- an anthology of speculative, social justice science fiction written by organizers and activists who are rooted in the lessons imparted by novelist Octavia Butler. As Octavia's Brood and the OUT/LOOK Birth of the Queer project demonstrates, a resonating imperative exists today to bring our collective histories into the fold to be able to dream and imagine where we are going. Sinister Wisdomenvisions a similar revisitation and celebration of the powerful Conditions journals in a special issue of the journal to be published in 2022. A special issue of Sinister Wisdom will create space as a tribute to Conditions to form tributaries connecting lesbian print culture of now, then, and tomorrow through your participation.

The project we are imagining will require a lot of room to breathe; we anticipate the following timeline to publication. Contributors are invited to propose submissions through March 31, 2020. Project editors will follow up with participants including matching them with a physical issue of Conditions posted through snail mail during April and May. Final submissions will be due by December 31, 2020. Editing and design will happen during 2021 for an early 2022 issue of Sinister Wisdom .

Questions? Direct them to sinisterwisdom@gmail.com.

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. We seek to open, consider and advance the exploration of lesbian community issues. We recognize 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.