A local journal aims to redefine the stereotypical Southern woman’s experienc

A strong, powerful-looking woman stares ahead, standing upon cypress knees in a swamp. She holds a long spear, and locks of her hair form a banner with the words “Belle Journal” in a messy script. This is the cover of the Belle Journal. Glance at it, and you’ll immediately recognize power with a hint of madness. Both traits could represent many Southern women.

The journal aims to redefine and challenge assumptions about the Southern woman’s experience, says journal creator and founder Jane Hogan. She released its second volume last summer.

Looking through the journal, you’ll find works like a printed nursery rhyme or the writings of a grandmother found in her attic. They lend the publication a real, unrefined feel—a cry away from perennial and more selective academic journals.

“I want the journal to always be something that people feel belongs to them,” Hogan says. For her, that means projecting an authentic, unpolished style, rather than a collection populated by works from professionals or elites.

While brainstorming themes,
Hogan was captivated by the relationship between feminine vitality and the complex nature and beauty of the region. She wanted to pay homage to the dynamic spirit of Southern women.

“I think of resilience and strength, this sort of very gritty and soulful person,” Hogan says. “The bottoms of your feet are always dirty, but [you] can clean up and be more refined … you have manners, but then there’s this wildness to it—getting through life and all of the horror and all of the beauty that comes with it.”

The journal has been a long time coming. Hogan first considered publishing a literary journal back in 2008. Prior to attending LSU, the Hammond native attended the Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts in Natchitoches. Her experience on staff of the school’s literary magazine, Folio, sparked her love of poetry and prose.

While in law school, she found she missed having a creative outlet and wanted to channel her artistic energy into a new project.

She knew immediately the name of the project would be Belle Journal, although her vision didn’t come to fruition until 2012. That was when she decided to take the plunge and recruit her cousin and fellow LSU alum, Amelia Tritico, to organize a website and Facebook page to call for submissions.

The duo received around 150 submissions and raised money through a Kickstarter campaign to cover printing costs. The 124-page first volume was published in spring 2013.

They immediately opened submissions again for the second volume, but a move to Tennessee for Tritico and Hogan’s graduation from LSU’s Law School and subsequent move to Lafayette pushed the process back. They finally published that second volume this past summer.

Between Volumes I and II, Hogan had a “crisis moment” where she feared people would associate the journal’s title with an antiquated notion of femininity in the South. So she changed its mission—instead of focusing on modern Southern women, it would be an avenue for all voices to be heard and appreciated.

Hogan sees it as a total view of the Southern experience—the good, the bad and the ugly. In Volume III, she aims to explore more of the difficulties that come with being Southern.

While they don’t have a definitive publication date for Volume III, Hogan is not about to let another four years pass until its release.

As the journal evolves, its effect remains the same: evoking readers to embrace their Southern identity, wherever they are.

“Be well,” reads Hogan’s letter from the editor in Volume II, “and above all, be Southern.” bellejournal.com

This article was originally published in the January 2018 issue of 225 Magazine.