Writing about Womyn's Lands, then and now

In 2009, author Ariel Levy wrote this fantastic piece on the promise of lesbian radical empowerment in the seventies, as seen in the Womyn's Lands section of West of Center. 

Feminist Collectives: Womyn’s Lands of Southern Oregon

Ruth Mountaingrove
Lake of the Woods Gathering, 1974
Digitized archival  slide, 4 x 6 in
Courtesy Special Collections and University Archives,
University of Oregon Libraries

In the 1970s, feminists established a network of rural communities where women creatively lived and worked to reimagine life outside of patriarchy. The largest concentration of communities within this network—often referred to as womyn’s or lesbian lands—existed in southern Oregon. These communities offered their residents a range of unique experiences that put feminist principles into action.