Volume 28.2

The domestic everyday

A magazine like Room of One’s Own is published because each member of the editorial collective loves the words of women. It has a history of over twenty-five years, and hundreds of women have valued having access to a Canadian women’s literary magazine. The women who started this magazine almost thirty years ago saw a need for a venue for poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction written by, for, and about women. Today, this need remains.

Although the reason why Room of One’s Own exists is clear, the way that the editorial collective undertakes the business of magazine publishing is more complicated. Room of One’s Own must work within the trends governing the industry; lately, the whole of the Canadian magazine publishing industry has seen lower subscription rates than in previous years. Room has seen this challenge first hand. In order to compete and be able to bring the words of Room to more and more people, we are undertaking Room’s first circulation drive. We are thankful for funding from the Canada Magazine Fund that allows us to do this important work...

I find community in the words of our writers—in the stories they tell, in the moments that a piece of poetry captures. These words are why Room of One’s Own exists. As we transition, the words of our writers will guide us. We invite you to take advantage of our subscription drive so that you can continue to enjoy this community of writers. And so we can continue to offer this unique venue for women’s words that captures all of our hearts and minds.

Ana Torres, editor

Cover Artist's Statement: "There is a prevailing sense of isolation and alienation in my paintings. I want the viewer to wonder what is beyond the borders of the canvas. I paint to capture shifts in mood and the transitory nature of the world and our place within it. The viewer should never be completely comfortable with my works. They are not conventional portraits but rather use the figure as a vehicle for eliciting an emotional and/or intellectual unease."

Bios for selected contributors

Heather Horton (cover artist) grew up in Burlington, Ontario. After university she decided to pursue a career as a painter. She studied Interpretive Illustration at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario. Heather was elected into the Society of Canadian Artists in 2002 and the Federation of Canadian Artists in 2003. Her work is in private collections in Canada, the US, Germany and Great Britain.

Mary Horodyski is the author of the chapbook mr spock do you read me? published by Turnstone Press. Her writing has also appeared in Grain, Prairie Fire, and Rampike and is included in Section Lines: A Manitoba Anthology. She lives in Winnipeg.

Ana Torres (editor) has worked in publishing for over seven years. She worked for Adbusters Magazine, was the coordinator of Federation of British Columbia Writers and edited the organization’s quarterly, Wordworks. In 2002, Ana was an intern with Raincoast Book’s Publishing Department. Ana completed a Masters in Publishing from SFU in 2003. She was appointed the Executive Director of the BC Association of Magazine Publishers in 2002.

Mary Wharff’s poems have recently appeared in I-70 Review. This is her first published short story. She is completing her master's degree in creative writing at the University of Kansas, and is fiction editor of Coal City Review. Ms. Wharff lives in Lawrence, Kansas with her husband and their adopted four-legged family.