New Co-Editors of WSQ

York English Professors now lead scholarly journal on women, gender, and sexuality.

English Professors Dr. Andie Silva and Dr. Shereen Inayatulla

Before Dr. Shereen Inayatulla began an academic career, she already felt connected to WSQ, a 50-year-old academic journal published by The Feminist Press. “I had a minor in women’s studies, and the scholarship that came out of that journal profoundly impacted me,” she explains. When WSQ announced an opening for new co-editors, Dr. Inayatulla enlisted her colleague, Dr. Andie Silva, to become her co-applicant. The two met when Dr. Inayatulla was part of Dr. Silva’s search committee nine years ago and have a history of professional collaboration.

Dr. Inayatulla believed being chosen for these roles would be a remarkable opportunity for the school.

It is an excellent way to go out into the world and talk about what we do at York to the CUNY community and a broader audience because the readership is international. -- Dr. Inayatulla

Launched in 1972, the peer-reviewed journall is an interdisciplinary forum for exchanging emerging perspectives on women, gender, and sexuality. It features scholarship from multiple disciplines, fiction and creative nonfiction, poetry, and the visual arts in issues published twice yearly in June and December.

The two bring diverse backgrounds and expertise to their work at York and WSQ. Dr. Silva is originally from Brazil and earned her  Ph.D. at Wayne State University in Detroit. She is an early modernist (studying 16^th and 17^th-century printed books) and a digital humanist (applying digital methodologies to humanity subjects). Dr. Inayatulla has been a member of York’s faculty for 13 years. She grew up in Canada and came to the United States to get her Ph.D. at the  University of Wisconsin. Her scholarship is focused on composition and rhetoric (a.k.a. writing studies). However, her interdisciplinary work emphasizes anti-racist and feminist pedagogy.

Through this collaborative lens, they plan to continue WSQ’s mission. They are excited to join now as the issue called “Nonbinary” debuts. While the production happened before they assumed their roles last May, it indicates the work they hope to continue.

What brings me to WSQ is that intersectionality and the opportunity to advance conversations. The journal publishes artists, poets, people reflecting on the state of our time, and traditional academic research” -- Dr. Silva

The duo believes the journal’s work challenges boundaries and hierarchies often present in academia, which is often a siloed space. “We also get to connect with people we’ve previously only dreamed of contacting, like superstar writers, thinkers, academics, artists, and activists, and ask them if they’d like to write a piece.” Dr. Inayatulla notes.

But even with their increased responsibilities as co-editors, their commitment to York is unwavering. “It’s vital to consider where our attention is most needed to maintain our commitment to the school, the department, and the students. Our responsibilities go beyond the classroom. A York education can support students financially, intellectually, and structurally,” Silva says. “The students make it possible for me to imagine a glorious, equitable future for all of us. They constantly inspire me in all parts of my job,” Inayatulla adds.