Tessa Denton's Feminist Writing Portfolio

To potential feminist writers and students,

This portfolio is a collection of work that demonstrates my experiences with applying feminist theory to writing within a myriad of genres. Feminist writing connects people across identities and experiences, like race, sexuality, ability, gender, nationality, class, size, age, and more. In this portfolio, I was challenged to explore some of the ways that feminist writing can exist and effect change, discovering along the way that we are all much more capable than we may think.

Over the course of Spring Quarter 2022, I worked with various professional feminist writers to gain experience writing in seven different genres: 

• movement journalism with Roxy Szal, wherein I wrote a practice pitch for the feminist publication, Ms. Magazine

• theatre monologue with Deborah Hathaway, wherein I wrote about the severing of generational relations

• activist writing with Akshara Balakrishnan, wherein I wrote about why the asexual and aromantic communities deserve better recognition within queer activism

• children’s books with Sondra Simone Segunda, wherein I drew a killer whale’s fin in the style of her culture, the Haida, and gained much inspiration

• fiction with Laurie Frankel, wherein I wrote a short piece of flash fiction about an adventurous girl

• poetry with Claudia Castro Luna, wherein I wrote a poem about hands and embodiment

• memoir with Sarah Cannon, wherein I deconstructed the conceptualization of romance

Their presentations gave me motivation and confidence in my own voice, enabling me to experiment with their respective literary formats – manifesting as self-actualization, expression, and exploration.

My first feminist writing project was a zine in which I discussed taboo vocabulary through a pseudo-dictionary format. I was strongly inspired by The Riot Grrrls of the 1990s, whose zines were a mix of educational, artistic, and deeply passionate feminist rhetoric. I tried to imagine what it might be like to be a teenage girl in the 90s, as a woman in her 20s in the 20s. Mainstream media rarely, if ever, consults with marginalized communities about what they want to be called, and for decades, centuries, vocabulary has been forced upon them without consent. This zine is a way of affirming the words these communities have chosen for themselves – such as gay, disabled, and Black – and educating those outside as to why these words should not be taboo. 

There is power in words, which is why it’s so important for marginalized communities to take control of how they’re discussed – accurately and respectfully. Rather than treating us like “bad words,” treat us like people. That is what my zine “(Not) Bad Words” represents.

My next project resulted from a belief I have long held, which is that poetry is an amazing tool for activism and politics. My workshop with Roxy Szal is also illustrative of this belief. My poem “Bloodline” is about my origins as a European American whose ancestors are, directly or otherwise, responsible for colonialism and the destruction of Indigenous peoples, cultures, and land. My primary inspiration was “Discourse on the Logic of Language” by M. NourbeSe Philip. 

As a white American, part of doing the work to internally decolonize is in recognizing my origins and not denying them as my own. Without speaking over Indigenous voices, I hoped to portray my experiences as someone who has lost her connection to her culture and language due to colonialism and assimilation, while likewise benefitting from such due to white supremacy. Feminist work requires constant self-reflection, especially when you are of an oppressive identity like whiteness, and “Bloodline” is a representation of this work.

My final project was a children’s book titled Magic the Cat Sets a Boundary. In this story, a cat named Magic learns how to set a boundary regarding physical touch, and his owner, a Black girl named Jada, thereby learns about consent. Due to the lack of Black representation in children’s media, it was important to me to create a story where an oft-ignored demographic is centered – in this case, young Black girls. 

As for the story itself, I hoped to use it to teach children how to set their own boundaries, assert their bodily autonomy, and gain a basic understanding of consent. All three notions are integral to every aspect of feminist activism, from abortion rights to defunding the police to the Land Back movement. It is vital for children to be exposed to these ideas early, so they can grow up self-respecting and confident in their intrinsic worth, despite what the world throws at them – particularly those with marginalized identities.

Lastly, I have included the five Journal Entry papers that I wrote this quarter about feminist texts regarding their importance, audiences, goals, significance to marginalization, and power.

Feminist writing, by its nature as something feminist, is intended to highlight the perspectives of those marginalized by our heteronormative, white supremacist, ableist, misogynistic society. It is hugely intimidating to attempt to contribute to this body of work, but it is in doing so that we can broaden worldviews and diversify a market of writing that was never built with us in mind. There is power in reading, writing, and sharing feminist texts, spreading ideas of liberation and strength.

I encourage you, as you read through my work, to consider your position in the world and the story you have to tell – and, above all, I encourage you to tell it.

Sincerely, Tessa Denton