Two Elon University seniors launched their own online literary publication called The Fem Lit Mag. Rachel Lewis and Autumn Spriggs, both members of Elon Feminists for Equality, Change & Transformation, wanted to create an outlet for feminist voices to be heard.

The idea for the magazine had been brewing for a while. This summer, Spriggs and Lewis corresponded via Facebook and Skype. During one of their conversations, they discussed the feasibility of creating an online feminist magazine.

“I think it was exciting and scary, but we were confident that it would work,” Lewis, who manages social media and web design, said.

On July 1, they activated a Twitter account for the magazine and began posting on a regular basis.

“It just started as a ‘Let’s just do it,’ kind of thing,” Spriggs, the editor-in-chief, said.

After they decided to treat the project as a serious undertaking, Lewis and Spriggs corresponded on a daily basis to get it going.

As of Sept. 5, they have amassed 242 followers. Then they began actively searching for volunteer staff members in July and finalized their hiring decisions in August.

Lewis specifically reached out to women who strongly identified with feminism during the search for staff. They have accepted an all-female staff including a fiction editor, a non-fiction editor and a poetry editor.

Elizabeth Purvis, poetry editor and Elon alumna, said she hopes the magazine facilitates a community of like-minded writers.

“I hope The Fem becomes a safe, inclusive journal that publishes great literary work that’s been rather traditionally underrepresented,” Purvis said.

The goal of The Fem Lit Mag is to validate others’ experiences through publishing their writing.

Lewis is aware that some may not be comfortable sharing personal encounters, but she hopes that The Fem can encourage them to open up about their life experiences.

Spriggs and Lewis established their identities as feminists in early college.  After taking a gender studies course, Lewis felt her voice was heard and began to become more involved with Elon Feminists.

“It’s important for me to find spaces where I’m not being cut off,” Lewis said. “The thing about feminist spaces is that they’re often very safe places.”

Lewis took Spriggs to an Elon Feminists meeting, and the message resonated with her as well.

With Elon Feminists, they both found their voices and sought to help others speak out on feminist issues.

Spriggs and Lewis acknowledged that feminism has changed over the years. They said equality has not yet been reached, and our society tends to ignore those issues.

They also agree that the subtleties and off-hand remarks they’ve encountered in their own experiences are what triggered their need for a feminist outlet.

“The fact that we need feminist writing shows that it’s something we need to talk about,” Lewis said. “I think you see a lot of white, male voices represented.”

“I want to convince people that their voices are being heard,” she said.

Spriggs and Lewis plan to continue this project after they graduate. They have already included it in their post-grad plans and intend to expand The Fem and reach a large audience as it continues to develop.

“I hope to get a lot of voices from all over the world,” Spriggs said. “I hope people reading our magazine listen and don’t just read the words on the page.”