The Lily

The Lily is a publication from The Washington Post that elevates stories critical to the lives of women. The first Lily was started in 1849 by Amelia Bloomer. It was the first paper created and edited by women. When we launched in June of 2017, I wrote about why we decided to bring it back.

We have a website, an aesthetically pleasing Instagram, a book club, a newsletter and a presence on other social platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Flipboard. I manage our team, which includes a deputy editor, art directors, multiplatform editors, a staff writer and a video editor.

Together, Team Lily has created a lot in the past two years. We publish up to 10 stories a day, post three to five times a day on Instagram, post an Instagram Story multiple times a week, post to our Lily Lit Club Instagram page daily and publish video series. On top of that, we’re always working on bigger projects. Ideas for these projects come from every member of the team. Someone throws something out there, and we work together to see it through. We’ve created two murals in high-traffic areas of D.C, including one on election night 2018. We published and sold a zine on our first birthday. We launched a pop-up edition of our newsletter Lily Lines that focused on girlhood around the world. We took over The Lincoln theatre in D.C. with Lily branded balloon arches, posters, pins and more as the official media sponsor for Bentzen Ball, Tig Notaro’s comedy festival.

See below for some of our work.

THE LILY ON INSTAGRAM

For news that looks nice, follow us @thelilynews.

Today, cartoonist @christinemaricomics opens up about how she realized she was avoiding therapy because she felt ashamed of her struggles. Note: All views expressed are the opinions of the artist.

For 26 years, Gloria Nesmith, the ultrasound technician at the Feminist Women's Health Center, has determined whether women in Georgia can legally have an abortion. If the state’s new heartbeat bill goes into effect, she says, everything about

@lightfootforchi was sworn in as Chicago’s 56th mayor Monday during a ceremony that noted her historic firsts: that she is the city’s first black female leader as well as its first openly gay one. “For years they said, ‘Chicag

Members of Congress are questioning Nike following reports that the company penalized athletes for getting pregnant by reducing their pay and asking them to make unpaid appearances on its behalf. In a letter to Nike's chief executive, Reps. Jaime Her

This weekend, @SybrinaFulton, Trayvon Martin’s mother, announced she will join the race for Miami-Dade County commissioner, joining a succession of mothers who have lost sons or daughters to gun violence and who have sought to create change by

It’s been eight years. For 71 episodes — three days and 16 minutes worth of continuous viewing — fans have wondered who would be sitting on the Iron Throne at the end of the final season. Well, now we know. Needless to say, people h

Today, cartoonist @sagemcoffey opens up about being between therapists and how looking for a new therapist feels a lot like dating. Note: All views expressed are the opinions of the artist.

Lily contributor Maya Uppaluru says she breastfed her first child, but she "also wondered whether fathers of breastfed babies could participate, too. Isn’t there a way to empower partners and achieve more equality within families that want

Swipe for #goodnewsonly. (photos by Blake Hough / Lora Scantling / Mickey Howard)

"Someone Great" is not your average rom-com, and its protagonist Jenny, played by @hereisgina, is not your stereotypical Latina, writes Lily contributor Rosa Boshier. "While Jenny’s offbeat humor, ravenous career drive and nuance

In a recently released @calvinklein commercial, 17-year-old singer Billie Eilish (@wherearetheevocados) revealed why she wears baggy clothes. “Nobody can be like, 'She’s slim-thick', 'She’s not slim-thick', 'She’s got a flat a

The Throttle Queens women’s bike club was established in Nairobi, Kenya in 2017 and currently has eight members. They aim to make Nairobi’s motorcycling community more inclusive by inspiring women to engage in riding. They ride in bright

In today's edition of #LilyLines, cartoonist @buhbuhbrianna opens up about how her fear of connecting with someone has prevented her from seeking therapy, even though she knows it is becoming increasingly important for her to get help. Note: All view

Alabama lawmakers voted Tuesday to ban virtually all abortions in the state — including for victims of rape and incest — sending the strictest law in the nation to the state’s governor, who is expected to sign it. The measure permit

Today, cartoonist @mayyalpha talks about the little daily actions that bring her joy. Note: All views expressed are the opinions of the artist.

Actress Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty Monday to fraud conspiracy in the college admissions bribery scandal, two months after prosecutors accused her of paying $15,000 to help one of her daughters get a phony SAT score. Minutes after pleading g

@constancewu wrote an essay apologizing for remarks in which she appeared to express almost existential unhappiness about the renewal of her sitcom @freshofftheboatabc. The actress said she was upset about the show’s renewal because it meant sh

@milano_alyssa has proposed a good, old-fashioned sex strike to protest new antiabortion legislation. “Until women have legal control over our own bodies we just cannot risk pregnancy," she wrote on Twitter. “JOIN ME by not havi

The lily on video

Spearheaded by Lily Video Editor Maya Sugarman, we’ve published several video series. Here are a few.

Unfiltered

Seven videos featuring YouTubers telling us a story they never have before.

When Used Correctly

Our series on Contraception. View on Facebook Watch.

A DECADE APART

We invited women around 10 years apart in age to interview each other for a day in New York City—this is what they had to say about their bodies.

Watch the whole series on YouTube.

The Lily on election night 2018

We live-painted a mural over the course of election night that depicts an eagle representing the 184 women who were first-time candidates for congressional or gubernatorial seats, or sought a higher office in Congress. Each time a female candidate won her seat, a feather was colored in. The final product will convey exactly how many non-incumbent women were elected to office. This time-lapse reflects 33 feathers – the results that came in before 2 a.m. Wednesday.

Watch the video here.