Readers’ Memories

“What a magnificent venture The Women’s Press was. I think I bought almost all the books it ever published, and many of them survived the regular book culls I’ve needed to make in order to have somewhere in my apartment to sleep.” Michèle Nayman, writer and journalist (2026)

“Hugely important press. And if I remember right there were heaps of really excellent feminist crime books, many by POC writers. Groundbreaking. And I love the ‘steaming ahead’ logo.” Beth Spencer, writer (2026)

“Who can forget Mary Daly’s classic, Beyond God the Father? Knocked my head off my shoulders!” Coralie Vernon, activist (2026)

“From my teens onwards (Gen Xer)…. when at the library I sought out the black and white stripes of The Women’s Press spine on the shelves by sight, same with the dark green spine of Virago Publishers. Loved them.” Natasha Mitchell, journalist and broadcaster (2026)

“I loved TWP! And still have many books. I used to call it Ironing Board Press lol. What I loved was that it wasn’t just women’s voices but fresh women’s voices. The most unforgettable book was Mulberry and Peach, a groundbreaking book about a woman’s two personas, by a Chinese author, Hualing Nieh [Engel]. The Female Man by Joanna Russ was also groundbreaking. You can’t keep a good woman down by Alice Walker, I became a diehard fan.” Lou Steer, poet and performing artist (2026)