Mandy Van Deven, Founder and Editor of Feminist Review

Mandy Van Deven

Education:

Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA: B.A. Sociology/B.I.S. Women's Studies, 2002

Hunter College School of Social Work, New York, NY: MSW (Major Method: Administration, Minor Method: Community Organizing), 2008

Job title and employer:

Founder and Editor, Feminist Review (blog)

What do you do for a living and how did you end up doing it?

When I was a junior and senior in college, I worked as a Student Assistant at the Women’s Studies Institute at Georgia State University. During the summer of 2001, I had a lot of free time on my hands, so I decided to make a zine (Strike) because I had access to the copy machine, and my boss didn’t mind me using it. Over the next year, I put out two issues, which I both gave away for free and sold through online zine distros. In 2003, a friend of mine and I started Altar Magazine, which then merged with Clamor magazine in early 2006 in an attempt to increase both of our respective resources, but it wasn’t long before Clamor was forced to close its doors (http://clamormagazine.org/#farewell). By that point, I’d been bitten by the media bug and started Feminist Review, which provides a variation on typical reviews in that our reviews are written from a perspective that is critical of the culture, at large, and also allows for readers to ‘talk back’ to the review writer through posting comments about the review itself or the book, album, film, etc. being reviewed.

What are three of the most interesting things you have done or that have happened to you, career-wise or other?

I have learned an enormous amount over the past seven years about media production and sustainability, and a lot of that knowledge was gained through skill sharing, attending workshops, and trial by fire. My formal education is not in media work so I had a lot of learning to do when I started. What a blessing the internet can be!

I have also had the opportunity to meet a lot of amazing women and men who work in a variety of fields (i.e., publishing, music, film, community organizing), some of whom have name recognition and some of whom don’t. All of them are a constant inspiration for me, and I certainly feel privileged to have this kind of access to such incredible people.

What do you like about your current career?

I like that I have the flexibility to work at my own pace. I am not a fan of rigid daily schedules or office dress codes, so being able to do my work while I eat breakfast feels great. I also like that I can work where ever I am, since Feminist Review is online, which means that I can travel (for example, I’m currently in Calcutta, India) and still get my work done.

How does your career use your skills and what projects are you working on that best demonstrate them?

There are two skills that I am quite adept at, probably because I use them the most: one is time management and the other is supervision. There is a lot of behind-the-scenes work going on at Feminist Review that makes the blog possible other than the more obvious writing and editing that takes place. I sell advertisements. I work to increase web traffic. I recruit new writers and maintain solid relationships with current writers. It’s certainly more than a full-time job, which is why we take up just a slight corner of the interweb… for now. We’ve grown significantly since our inception, and continue to grow a little more each day.

What career successes are you most proud of having achieved?

Really, I’m proud of it all. It has been a trying road, and I’ve made more mistakes than I’d like to admit, but I am glad for the education that these mistakes have given me. Hopefully, I do not repeat the more egregious ones. Every day that Feminist Review continues to be a source of alternative information is a success because media that engages critically with culture and politics is slowly being eradicated. I’m proud to be a part of the history and present of the global production of independent media.

How do you spend your time outside of work?

At present, I spend a lot of time learning how to live in another country since I just moved to Calcutta in June. I take Bengali classes twice a week. I am learning to cook Indian food, which I love because cooking is a passion of mine. I go for walks to become more familiar with the neighborhood that I am living in and buy small things, like books or jewelry, so I can figure out how to haggle with the market sellers. It’s all terribly fun, and also enormously time consuming. My goal is to complete just one new thing a day. So far, so good.

If you have children, how do you find the work/family balance?

I don’t have children, but I do still have the challenge of balancing my work with my relationships - with my partner, as well as with my friends and family. I used to work all the time; there was barely an hour of the day that I wasn’t trying to finish some project or another, and my social life primarily revolved around meals because that was the only time I would stop working. That changed once I started having stress-related illnesses – like constant headaches – and when my relationships started to fall apart. Now I keep things in check and tell myself all the time, “The work will always be there. You don’t have to do it all today.” This shift has really caused all aspects of my life to substantially improve.

If you were to start over again from college and still end up at the same job you’re currently at, what steps would you take differently?

I would have made more of an effort to have a formal mentor, someone who could walk me through the process along the way. Apprenticeships tend to be thought of as a thing of the past, but they’re informally around us all of the time. I think a lot of the difficulties that I faced, especially in the beginning, would have been easier if I’d had someone more experienced to turn to for help or to answer questions. And social networks are no joke either. It is so important to meet people who are working in your field to swap stories and advice with. Because I had no formal training, I felt very intimidated and insecure in the field and didn’t want to be “found out” as a novice. But we all have to start somewhere, and in giving way to my fears, I was my own worst enemy.

What’s the greatest career advice you have ever been given? What advice do you bestow on others?

This isn’t exactly advice, but there are some things that I think are very important to incorporate into one’s thoughts and actions, particularly when working in a field that makes you very visible and where people who disagree with you aren’t always kind when expressing their opinion. You need a support system to keep you grounded, and to help you sort out what criticism is and isn’t useful in becoming better at your work. A good friend of mine, who is a writer and activist I admire immensely, is very good at reminding me of the need for self-care, both physically and mentally, which is an essential aspect of human existence that is constantly overlooked and under-prioritized. Whether it’s having a chat with a friend at the end of the day or playing basketball or loudly singing in the car with the windows down or cooking a brilliant dinner, we all need to have a positive outlet for coping with the stress in our lives. It’s up to you to find yours.

What accomplishments – both professionally and personally – do you hope to have achieved 20 years from now?

I just want to keep learning, that’s all. I’m pretty easy to please in this way, and it’s something that is completely within my control to accomplish. I want to continue to challenge myself to do things that I don’t think I can do, or that I am scared of doing. For now, I’m just trying to remember that I can only take one breath at a time.