Art
'No One’s Dreaming of a Day When Women Would Be the Default.'
The comics in Aubrey Hirsch's new book, "Graphic Rage," blow the lid open on the indignities in women’s lives and push back, one small rebellion at a time.
Francesca Donner
Francesca Donner is the founder and editor of The Persistent. She has worked in newsrooms including The New York Times where she was the gender director and the editor of ‘In Her Words’ and The Wall Street Journal where she was a deputy editor.
Who Doesn't Love a List?
On our last newsletter of the year, we invite you to make a hot mug of tea and get stuck in to these treasures. Enjoy.
Editor's Letter
I Promise This Letter Won’t End Badly
A reflection on 2025, from our editor-in-chief.
Remembering Jane Goodall
The barrier-breaking primatologist, who dedicated her life to conservation and humanitarian projects, died aged 91.
Money
Why Women Dislike Talking About Money. (And What We Can Do About It.)
Ultimately, it might not be about how much you make or how you spend, it's about how money makes you feel.
Women You Should Know
Lilly Ledbetter Has Made It to the Big Screen. It’s About Time.
It took the writer and director Rachel Feldman years of doors being slammed in her face before she got her movie off the ground, but she’s finally done it: LILLY is out May 9.
Abortion
Thank You, Cecile
The activist and former president of Planned Parenthood died on Monday, aged 67.
Mental Health
A Handful of Reasons to Be Hopeful. (Yes, We Found Some!)
Wars, wildfires and felonious world leaders are dominating the news cycle. But also: Diseases are being treated, solar power is booming and some animals are back from the brink of extinction.
Giving Women the Last Word Since 2024
Our editor Francesca Donner looks back at The Persistent’s first year.
Books
Our Year In Books: Escape? Engage? Do Both?
The Persistent's editors round up their favorite reads of the year.
Sports
Could Advertising Be An Activist Tool?
How do you sponsor something that apparently nobody wants to see? You trick them into it.
Persisting Through Politics
The Day After the Big Day
This isn’t the note I was hoping to write. Harris lost. Trump won.
Women in Politics
How Do Feminists Feel About Mexico's New President? It's Complicated.
Is Mexico's new president good for women? It depends who you ask.
Persisting Through Politics
It’s a Big Deal That a Woman Is Running For President. Here’s Why.
Despite the support of many, the path for Kamala Harris to the Democratic nomination, and indeed the presidency itself, comes with significant headwinds.
Persisting Through Politics
How Marine Le Pen Uses Her Femininity as a Smokescreen
Following the French election, the far-right National Rally will stay out of power—for now. But the journalist Megan Clement warns the movement is not going away, either.
Culture
Men Still Aren’t Reading Women’s Books. Can the Women’s Prize Help?
The author Kate Mosse co-founded the Women’s Prize for Fiction to shrink the gender gap in publishing. Twenty-nine years on, she says her work is far from finished.