As an Editorial Intern at Willamette Week, I am the only woman on an all-male news staff; and without a degree in Journalism or a bulging portfolio, I am also the least qualified. This, of course, is the ultimate feminist nightmare. There I am, sitting at a staff meeting, nodding my head in feigned comprehension, as journalistic lingo ping-pongs off the rafters of my understanding. I’m quite literally pinching my leg in an unsuccessful attempt to wake up in a conversation in which I can intelligently participate. It doesn’t take long before I recognize what’s happening: the minutes are dripping by, collecting at my feet in in the unmistakably murky puddle of an unavoidable learning experience.
Commence reluctant splashing.
I volunteer to write an article – an article about feminism – a topic normally tossed in the back of the book for the Arts & Culture staff to juggle. But this time it’s news: In Other Words, the last remaining feminist bookstore on the west coast is on its last lap around the drain. Yep, the one featured on the IFC television series Portlandia. My pitch might not be as glamorous as city hall corruption, but the idea sells, and before I know it, I have my first assignment.
Fast-forward two weeks, and the article is in print. Contrary to my original intention, the piece is brutal. It focuses on In Other Words’ bad business choices and questions the store’s overall relevance. In short, it’s an article that I never expected to write. I set out to compose a story that would bring attention and, ultimately, fiscal support to an extremely valuable community center. After all, I have been a loyal customer of In Other Words since I was in high school. I am a passionate feminist, and I truly believe in the importance of providing a space that is devoted to gender justice and education. But in order to write this story, I needed to look at the facts. The Women’s Education Project, which runs the bookstore, ran $18,743 in the red last year. Annual sales have dropped 73 percent in the past four years; and this month, the store laid off its only two employees.
It’s no secret that times are tough for independent bookstores, but something more seemed to be ailing In Other Words. For years, a single source of income helped prop up the store’s finances: an exclusive contract to sell textbooks on women’s studies to Portland State University students. The store’s tax returns show that nearly half of In Other Words’ revenues came from such sales last year. In 2008, a federal law changed the way that students buy textbooks. Even though In Other Words saw this coming (the law didn’t take effect until July 2010) the board that runs the store didn’t prepare for the change. Instead, they acted surprised when an “unforeseen immediate financial crisis” knocked the last leg out from underneath the 18-year-old bookstore.
When I learned this, I was furious. And so were the volunteers. While writing this story, I realized that the Portland feminist community – myself included – has not held their community center accountable for its mistakes. Instead, they have blindly coddled it and thrown down enough money to keep the store afloat. Over the years, In Other Words has become so precious to its community that there has been little to no constructive criticism. No one has forced In Other Words to evolve. As a result, the store has lost its relevance. It’s become an important idea for Portland feminists but not a necessary reality. As Portlandia suggested, it has become a parody of itself.
So, what I couldn’t say (in “800 words or less”) to the Portland feminist community, I want to say here: challenge In Other Words to grow. Visit the store and decide whether or not it represents feminism as you see it. Raise your hushed voices and create conversation around a community that desperately needs it. We will only become fragile if we continue treating the institutions that support us as such.