Written by Luisa Matzner, Graduate Assistant (Preservation Services Unit)
Introduction
Lavender Prairie News was a DIY periodical made by lesbians for lesbians, circulating in Champaign-Urbana from the late 1970s to the 1990s. The first of its kind in the area, the newsletter focused on issues facing the local lesbian community, both close to home and on the national level. Beyond a tool for political mobilization, it served as important communication for the feminist local music scene, including the organization of early iterations of the National Women’s Music Festival and regular advertisements from Olivia Records. As it gained traction in the 1980s, it also highlighted publications from Naiad Press and other independent feminist publishers that eventually became known as the women in print movement. With a staunchly separatist guiding ideology, the content focused almost exclusively on the experiences of cisgender lesbians completely decentering men. It serves as a vital primary source for second-wave feminism, an example of the women in print movement, and a testament to the queer community in Champaign-Urbana.
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