Minnesota-born poet, editor, and publisher Maureen Owen, while not an official member of the New York School of Poets, is incredibly similar to that outstanding group in terms of literary impact, emphasis on societal change, and an intense focus on community and collaboration. As described in an interview with Chicago Review journalist Stephanie Anderson, the scene surrounding Telephone's publication was one of intense community and inclusiveness. With other collaborative mimeo-magazines like The World being published, Owen saw an opportunity to create an all-inclusive space for little-known poets and female poets to be heard.

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Like many female poets in the mid-to-late 1900s, Owen experienced the struggle to be recognized by the male-favoring public as a real poet. Despite her struggle, Owen pushed through the social norms with her “exuberant style and tremendous energy,” as praised by NPR poet and Telephone contributor Andrei Codrescu. Her strongly feminist works and her unstoppable drive to push for gender equality in poetry make Owen a shining contributor to gender equality in the literary world. To better understand Owen’s contribution to gender equality on the poetry stage, we will investigate the contributors of Telephone (1970-1983), focusing mainly on the sex and magnitude of contribution of each contributor for each issue. A closer look at the contributor data for the Telephone magazine will not only reveal Owen’s significant contribution to closing the poetry gender gap but also uncover her efforts to create a more inclusive literary community, open to all genders and sexualities, that is fitting of the sense of community and inclusiveness brought about by the magazine's namesake invention, the telephone.

 

Shown in the image gallery below are images of the covers to each of Owen's published books other than Telephone. Most are collections of Owen's poetry, which are said to be both sensual and exciting, written in Owen's unique style with emphasis on nature, spacing, and image. Their dates of publication range from 1973 to 2013.