Fresh Feminist Viewpoints for the Female Mind

How do you define feminism? Fabula is determined not to answer that question for you. Instead, this lively magazine "for the female mind" sees past the gridlock in feminist debate, offering viewpoints as fluid and realistic as the women who read it.

I first encountered Fabula's easy-to-stomach, pro-woman journalism in a how-to article called "You & Your Car," which spoke to my own sense of guilty neglect. Since then, I've been impressed by little jewels in every issue, including a smart interview with Dineh Mohajer, founder of Hard Candy cosmetics, and an in-depth look at the top girl skateboarders. You won't find mainstream fashion spreads in Fabula—or too many diehard, girlcentric manifestos, either. What I have found are savvy investment reports and a humorous investigation of the G-spot conspiracy.

Named after the Latin word for fable, Fabula has its own short story to tell. What started as editor-in-chief Liza Crowell's undergrad thesis project at UC Berkeley three years ago is now a quarterly that, in the crowded world of the women's press, has managed to carve out a modest room of its own, with more than enough space for new feminine perspectives. The low-budget graphics could be improved, and the first-person confessional style tends to be overdone; but a few rough edges only add to the magazine's authenticity and charm.