A new quarterly magazine, kindling & sage, has launched created by and for women and gender diverse people of colour.
Created by and for women and gender diverse People of Colour (POC), kindling & sage Publisher Natalie Garcia aims to elevate the voices of those that are consistently absent from mainstream media in Australia.
The magazine is inspired by the work of gal-dem, B*tch Media, CRWN and others. kindling & sage magazine is available in print and digital formats. The magazine is split into two sections.
- ‘kindling’ features opinion pieces, interviews, short stories, and book and movie reviews.
- ‘sage’ focuses on action and initiatives, highlighting women and non-binary POC-led businesses, a classifieds wall to advertise community groups and campaigns to support, and an online business directory.
The magazine’s debut edition, published in April, includes conversations with renowned women in media and fashion, climate advocates, body-positive trailblazers and entrepreneurs. The publication highlights the many different experiences and talents of women of colour and carves out a space unlike any other.
Over 30 individuals contribute to the first edition, available in both print and digital editions.
To support their growth, kindling & sage has now launched a fundraising campaign in partnership with Chuffed.org to raise $20,000 to cover operational costs for its next two editions.
Garcia said “We’ve created a unique space for women and gender diverse POC to share their stories. The magazine grew from our frustration at the lack of representation People of Colour have in mainstream media. We wanted to hear from people that look like us, that share our experiences, that draw on our knowledge.”
It has long been reported that Australian mainstream media lacks diversity in gender, ethnicity, age, ability and body shapes, but Garcia believes that the creation of policies and strategies to diversify these spaces means little without first ensuring safe environments for people of colour to flourish.
“Exclusive spaces that focus on the voices of BIWOC and Gender Diverse POC can improve quality of life and wellbeing, strengthen a sense of belonging and validate our experiences. As Audre Lorde said, “without community, there is no liberation” and we’re working to create a community that is truly diverse and inclusive,” Garcia said.
In her Editor’s note in the first edition, Garcia wrote: “This collection of writing and conversations called kindling & sage is meant to be just that: a collection of writing and conversations. By no means do the individuals represent their different communities. We represent ourselves, our stories and lived experience, our work and thoughts. We live at intersections of gender and race, but we do not represent the experiences of all those who live at the same intersections. While representation is diverse, there’s no limit to diversity.”
