The Women's Press

==1980s==

==1980s==

In 1982, [[Ros de Lanerolle]] became managing director of the company.{{Cite journal |last=Murray |first=Simone |date=1998-01-01 |title=’Books of Integrity’ The Women’s Press, Kitchen Table Press and Dilemmas of Feminist Publishing |url=https://www.academia.edu/71567895/_Books_of_Integrity_The_Women_s_Press_Kitchen_Table_Press_and_Dilemmas_of_Feminist_Publishing|journal=The European Journal of Women's Studies|volume=5|pages=171-193}} Under Dowrick's leadership The Women's Press had differentiated itself from Virago by emphasising contemporary political concerns, using the slogan "Live Authors, Live Issues".{{Citation needed|date=February 2026}} Dowrick had published many of the leading radical feminist writers of the day, including [[Andrea Dworkin]], [[Phyllis Chesler]], [[Shulamith Firestone]], Louise Berkinow, [[Susan Griffin]], as well as Canadian writers including [[Alice Munro]] and [[Joan Barfoot]]. The press's early fiction writers included [[Janet Frame]] (NZ), [[Lisa Alther]] (USA), Joyce Kornblatt (USA) and [[Michèle Roberts]] (UK). It published a number of books in collaboration with Frauenoffensive, [[Munich]], and Sara, [[Amsterdam]].{{Citation needed|reason=Which books? How many? When?|date=February 2026}} Early commissioned writers included Joanna Ryan, [[Lucy Goodison]] and [[Sheila Ernst]]. De Lanerolle continued the Press's effort to publish Black and Third World women's writing. Among early African-American writers to be published were [[Toni Cade Bambara]] and [[Alice Walker]], as well as Maori writer [[Patricia Grace]] (NZ). In 1983, the Press had commercial success with the British publication of Alice Walker's bestseller ''[[The Color Purple]]'', and it also published [[Tsitsi Dangarembga]]'s ''[[Nervous Conditions]]'' (1988) and [[Pauline Melville]]'s ''Shape-Shifter'' (1990). From 1985 to 1991, the Press also had a [[feminist science fiction]] list.Joan Haran, [https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/ff96/a6c2ced018212b9c2de1566cef0b56879a05.pdf "Re-Visioning Feminist Futures: Literature as Social Theory"], PhD thesis, University of Warwick, 2003, pp. 16–17. Accessed 1 September 2020. In 1991 [[Kathy Gale]] was appointed as publishing director.

In 1982, [[Ros de Lanerolle]] became managing director of the company.{{Cite journal |last=Murray |first=Simone |date=1998-01-01 |title=’Books of Integrity’ The Women’s Press, Kitchen Table Press and Dilemmas of Feminist Publishing |url=https://www.academia.edu/71567895/_Books_of_Integrity_The_Women_s_Press_Kitchen_Table_Press_and_Dilemmas_of_Feminist_Publishing|journal=The European Journal of Women's Studies|volume=5|pages=171-193}} Under Dowrick's leadership The Women's Press had differentiated itself from Virago by emphasising contemporary political concerns, using the slogan "Live Authors, Live Issues".{{Citation needed|date=February 2026}} Dowrick had published many of the leading radical feminist writers of the day, including [[Andrea Dworkin]], [[Phyllis Chesler]], [[Shulamith Firestone]], Louise Berkinow, [[Susan Griffin]], as well as Canadian writers including [[Alice Munro]] and [[Joan Barfoot]]. The press's early fiction writers included [[Janet Frame]] (NZ), [[Lisa Alther]] (USA), Joyce Kornblatt (USA) and [[Michèle Roberts]] (UK). It published a number of books in collaboration with Frauenoffensive, [[Munich]], and Sara, [[Amsterdam]].{{Citation needed|reason=Which books? How many? When?|date=February 2026}} Early commissioned writers included Joanna Ryan, [[Lucy Goodison]] and [[Sheila Ernst]]. De Lanerolle continued the Press's effort to publish Black and Third World women's writing. Among early African-American writers to be published were [[Toni Cade Bambara]] and [[Alice Walker]], as well as Maori writer [[Patricia Grace]] (NZ). In 1983, the Press had commercial success with the British publication of Alice Walker's bestseller ''[[The Color Purple]]'', and it also published [[Tsitsi Dangarembga]]'s ''[[Nervous Conditions]]'' (1988) and [[Pauline Melville]]'s ''Shape-Shifter'' (1990). From 1985 to 1991, the Press also had a [[feminist science fiction]] list.Joan Haran, [https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/ff96/a6c2ced018212b9c2de1566cef0b56879a05.pdf "Re-Visioning Feminist Futures: Literature as Social Theory"], PhD thesis, University of Warwick, 2003, pp. 16–17. Accessed 1 September 2020. In 1991 [[Kathy Gale]] was appointed as publishing director. Jennifer Bradshaw and [[Nina Kidron]] (co-founder of Pluto Press) were appointed to the Board).

However, a publishing recession in the late 1980s and early 1990s left The Women's Press making losses.{{Citation needed|reason=What kind of losses?|date=February 2026}} Though de Lanerolle argued{{Citation needed|reason=Where? When?date=February 2026|date=February 2026}} that the cause was a general recession, and that the company was recovering, Attallah blamed the attention paid to Third World women writers.{{Citation needed|reason=This is arguable. As a Palestinian, Attallah had given great emphasis in his own publishing to marginalised Middle Eastern writers|date=February 2026}} In late 1990, Attallah appointed Mary Hemming as deputy managing director, and in early 1991 rejected an attempted buyout offer of £500,000 by de Lanerolle. De Lanerolle was forced to resign and accept a redundancy payout, and five other staff resigned in solidarity with her.{{Citation needed|date=February 2026}} Attallah appointed himself the firm's interim managing director and briefly recalled Dowrick from Australia, before they together appointed Kathy Gale as managing director. Twenty-three Women's Press authors, including [[Merle Collins]], [[Michèle Roberts]], [[Gillian Slovo]] and [[Sheila Jeffreys]], wrote to ''[[The Guardian]]'' to distance themselves from Attallah's actions.[[Rukhsana Ahmad]], "What's Happening to the Women's Presses?", ''[[Spare Rib]]'', May 1991, pp. 10–13. Stephanie Dowrick was appointed chair and continued in that role for many years.{{Cite web |title=Publisher: The Women's Press |url=https://isfdb.org/cgi-bin/publisher.cgi?176 |access-date=2026-02-26 |website=isfdb.org}}

However, a publishing recession in the late 1980s and early 1990s left The Women's Press making losses.{{Citation needed|reason=What kind of losses?|date=February 2026}} Though de Lanerolle argued{{Citation needed|reason=Where? When?date=February 2026|date=February 2026}} that the cause was a general recession, and that the company was recovering, Attallah blamed the attention paid to Third World women writers.{{Citation needed|reason=This is arguable. As a Palestinian, Attallah had given great emphasis in his own publishing to marginalised Middle Eastern writers|date=February 2026}} In late 1990, Attallah appointed Mary Hemming as deputy managing director, and in early 1991 rejected an attempted buyout offer of £500,000 by de Lanerolle. De Lanerolle was forced to resign and accept a redundancy payout, and five other staff resigned in solidarity with her.{{Citation needed|date=February 2026}} Attallah appointed himself the firm's interim managing director and briefly recalled Dowrick from Australia, before they together appointed Kathy Gale as managing director. Twenty-three Women's Press authors, including [[Merle Collins]], [[Michèle Roberts]], [[Gillian Slovo]] and [[Sheila Jeffreys]], wrote to ''[[The Guardian]]'' to distance themselves from Attallah's actions.[[Rukhsana Ahmad]], "What's Happening to the Women's Presses?", ''[[Spare Rib]]'', May 1991, pp. 10–13. Stephanie Dowrick was appointed chair and continued in that role for many years.{{Cite web |title=Publisher: The Women's Press |url=https://isfdb.org/cgi-bin/publisher.cgi?176 |access-date=2026-02-26 |website=isfdb.org}}