Founder and Editor of Feminartsy, Zoya Patel.

The coffee mug sitting next to me while I write this article has Wonder Woman on it. It seems fitting since this article is about Feminartsy, the new monthly online feminist literary journal being launched in Canberra tonight.

Feminartsy, founded and edited by Zoya Patel, will offer essays, fiction, poetry, interviews and art looked at through a ‘feminist lens’.

“Feminism is about gender equality. All content on Feminartsy will be aligned with the values of feminism, and will take a considered, nuanced approach to the topic at hand,” says Patel.

“Sometimes content will be overtly concerned with feminism, and other times feminism will just inform content in a more subtle way.”

Patel is young but has a strong background and interest in writing and feminism, and this is what led her to begin Feminartsy.

“I’ve always been a writer, since as long as I can remember. When I was 14, I did an internship with Lip Magazine, and ended up writing for them regularly. That opened my eyes to both feminism, and my love of the media industry and magazines in particular. I eventually worked my way up from a writer, to a columnist, to Fiction Editor, to Editorial Assistant and became Editor-in-chief in 2010 of Lip.

At that time, I also studies Gender Studies at university and wrote for a wide range of publications. I moved on from my role at Lip in March this year, and that’s what led me to launching Feminartsy – I still wanted to be involved in feminist media, but in a different way.”

Having previously worked in the print medium, Patel decided that an online journal was the best format for Feminartsy.

“I did print publishing with Lip for years, as well as the online website, and I just found working online to be more innovative, responsive and engaging. I also want to pay contributors to Feminartsy, and the cost of running a print magazine makes that basically impossible.”

While some may think that a journal with a feminist slant is not for them, Patel argues that gender is something that affects everyone daily.

“Gender is obviously a huge part of our daily lives, and it influences a lot of our actions without us necessarily being aware of that. Put yourself in the shoes of a transgender person and you soon realise how completely immersed gender is in everything we do.

It’s not just about the big political and social issues like equal marriage rights or paid maternity leave to name a few – it’s about absolutely everything.”

Even though the journal has not been launched yet, support from the Canberra community is already coming in.

“I’ve had a lot of local support for the website. In fact, the website wouldn’t be happening without the support of those wonderful people who donated to our Pozible campaign, most of whom were local. I’ve also been able to feature local artists and writers, which I think is really important. We have an awesome creative community in Canberra, so Feminartsy is all about celebrating that!” says Patel.

“Hopefully it continues to flourish, and I’m able to keep paying contributors. As long as there’s an audience, we’ll be here.”

*Smith’s Alternative Bookstore in Civic is hosting the launch of Feminartsy at 7pm tonight – Friday 20 May. More information can be found on Feminartsy’s facebook page or at www.feminartsy.com.