“I Wouldn’t Have Cared If Exponent II Were Published on Paper Towels”
I have one! A copy of the very first Exponent II! I wasn’t on the staff, wasn’t a contributor, wasn’t even one of the early-bird subscribers, but the outsized newsprint publication with its flowering Tree of Knowledge logo spoke to me, a 33-year-old, single, uncomfortable Mormon woman. In its pages — filled with columns of tiny (maybe 8-point?) typeface — were women I admired: Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Carol Lynn Pearson. And there, on page 1, an article about a woman I absolutely revered — Juanita Brooks, who spoke at the second Exponent Day Dinner.
Not only do I have that first issue — I have every issue published since July 1974. The newsprint copies are ragged, torn, the dusky color of manila envelopes, some with scorched-looking streaks across the middle. The quality of the paper stock improved over the years, but I wouldn’t have cared if Exponent II were published on paper towels. I read it eagerly and was proud when, from time to time, pieces I submitted were included in its pages. These were my sisters! Many were more faithful than I; some were even beyond the fringe that I clung to. These five decades, Exponent II has grown and stretched to embrace women in their differences and their similarities. And from the beginning, I have known I belonged in the Exponent community.
Dialogue began publishing eight years before Exponent II, Sunstone the same year. My bookcases and cabinets are stuffed with all those issues too. I am grateful for those journals, for their academic rigor and relevance. But I admit I haven’t read every article. I have read every word in every Exponent II.
Thank you, Exponent, for being my people.
Karen has contributed a number of stories and essays to Exponent II. After 34 years of working with college students on their writing, she reads and proofreads for her favorite publication and sometimes gets to work with Exponent II authors on their work.
Kensington, California
Categories: Shout Outs
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