Third Woman Press

Third Woman Press (TWP) is a Queer and Feminist of Color publisher forum committed to feminist and queer of color decolonial politics and projects. It was founded in 1979 by Norma Alarcón^[1] in Bloomington, Indiana. She aimed to create a new political class surrounding sexuality, race, and gender.^[2] Alarcón wrote that "Third Woman is one forum, for the self-definition and the self-invention which is more than reformism, more than revolt. The title Third Woman refers to that pre-ordained reality that we have been born to and continues to live and experience and be a witness to, despite efforts toward change ..."^[3]

The press closed down in 2004 due to a lack of funds and energy. It was reopened in 2011 by Alarcón with the help of Christina L. Gutiérrez and Sara A. Ramírez.^[4][5][6]

[4][5][6] TWP was revived to honor and continue the legacy of women of color publishing. It has also published works by notable women of color such as Gloria Anzaldúa's Living Chicana Theory (1998), Cherrie Moraga's The Sexuality of Latinas (1993), Carla Trujillo's Chicana Lesbians: The Girls Our Mothers Warned Us About (1991), Theresa Hak Kyung Cha's Writing Self, Writing Nation: A Collection of Essays on Dictee by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha (1994) and Ana Castillo's The Sexuality of Latinas (co-editor, with Norma Alarcón and Cherríe Moraga) (1993).^[3]

TWP believes that language, art, and media are tools for creating dynamic social change. The tools expand access to the work of activist scholars and artists dedicated to liberation from the historical injustices of colonialism and imperialism.^[7] They also encourage readers to collaborate with them to envision a world for women of color that incorporate migratory, diasporic, and indigenous women both within and beyond U.S. national borders.^[8]