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How Two Young Journalists Are Highlighting Longform Journalism Written by Women

Kaylen Ralph and Joanna Demkiewicz, BJ '13
Kaylen Ralph, BJ ’13, and Joanna Demkiewicz, BJ ’13. Photo by Sally French, BJ ’13.

A male-led seminar on longform writing held at the Missouri School of Journalism this spring inspired two recent graduates – Kaylen Ralph, BJ ’13, and Joanna Demkiewicz, BJ ’13 – to create an outlet for narratives written by women. They just published the first issue of The Riveter, with Theresa Berens, BJ ’11, MA ’12, serving as the designer. Read on to learn more about their plans. This excerpt is reprinted with permission from The Poynter Institute.

By Mallary Jean Tenore
The Poynter Institute

Columbia, Mo. (Aug. 23, 2013) — Kaylen Ralph and Joanna Demkiewicz want to help change the under-representation of women in longform journalism.

The two young journalists have created an online and print magazine called The Riveter, which highlights longform pieces and narratives written by women. They crowdfunded the project through a site called Indiegogo and raised $2,000.

A little over a week ago, they published the first print issue of The Riveter. The magazine includes four longform pieces – which are also published on The Riveter’s website – as well as some bonus content, including a photo essay by freelance photographer Alex Potter, who’s based in Yemen; book reviews; an interview with Texas Monthly Executive Editor Pamela Colloff; a book excerpt from Holly Grigg-Spall; and “a Not All-Inclusive History Timeline of Women in Journalism (think black feminist Gertrude Mossell in the late 1800s and Gloria Steinem in the 1970s)” as The Riveter’s site describes it.

I talked with Ralph via e-mail to find out more about the project and what she and Demkiewicz hope to accomplish. [More]

Updated: July 20, 2020

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