Our staff struggled to write this editor’s letter because so many terms related to women can be fraught. The phrase “a woman’s way of doing things”, or the word “feminine”, or even “woman”, have been wielded in harmful ways that we do not want to perpetuate. But we find it exciting that there are expanding vocabulary and freer ways of being that have been and are burgeoning from the margins — and we hope to stretch our collective imagination beyond the fixed terms that rein us in.
Inheritance has curated a series of profiles curated, written, and produced by women. When we say “woman” or “women”, we mean anyone who identifies with the lived experience of being a woman, including trans women, cis women, femmes, and demigirls, among many others. In this issue, we celebrate women who are “extra” and generous with their abundance; women who are “ordinary” and committed to their everyday sacredness. All extraordinary.
Extraordinary comes in many forms: deeply personal, creative, collaborative, experimental. In form, content, and process, our featured writers and artists embody the extraordinary spirits and power of women in their lives. These profiles invoke elders in stories and poems; savor the deep love between friends; and explore community in vulnerability and curiosity. They convey strength, sacredness, and subversion. Their words are tools of survival and sustenance.
