Indie Editors Series: Freya Bennett
Photo by Laura May Grogan.
“We absolutely love helping new writers grow, and we aim to never turn anyone down… I look for a clear idea of the story someone wants to tell, as well as kindness, a willingness to learn, and a collaborative spirit. We’re all about working together to make a piece the best it can be.”
Freya Bennett is the editor and co-founder of Ramona Magazine, a grassroots feminist platform focused on care, community and conversation. For an impressive eleven years, Ramona has been an empowering space where readers and emerging writers can learn, grow and express themselves. Covering topics such as sexual health, motherhood, art and culture, wellbeing, identity, relationships and so much more, Ramona is a well-loved publication that offers creatives of all ages a home for their writing.
Freya reflects on how the magazine has grown, juggling parenthood and publishing, and why Ramona will always be a space for stories that matter.
We’ll start off with an easy one! Can you tell us about your own background in writing and editing?
Hilariously, my whole experience with writing and editing has come from running Ramona over the past ten years. I studied music, but after graduating, I realised it wasn’t quite what I wanted to do. Not long after, I co-founded Ramona with my friend from America, Sophie Pellegrini. Although she’s younger than me, she taught me so much when it came to writing and editing. She had to put up with my terrible editing skills in the beginning, but with her gentle guidance – and by watching her amazing editing in action – I eventually got there.
I’ve always loved reading and, even though I thought my writing skills were pretty average, I always wanted to be a writer. It’s only in the last five years that I feel like I’ve truly found my voice. Since then, I’ve become a regular contributor to Frankie (my dream!) and have written for The Guardian and the ABC. A nice reminder that you can keep learning and pursuing new things, no matter your background or age.
You founded Ramona over a decade ago in 2014, which is incredible. Can you take us back to the very beginning – what inspired you to start it, how did you settle on a name and what were some of your early goals?
Oof! This really makes me feel old! So my inspiration started at age ten when my mum subscribed me to this amazing magazine called New Moon. Its unapologetic feminism and “reach for the stars” spirit blew my mind. It was my first real connection with girls from all over the world – since it was an American magazine with subscribers everywhere who contributed and wrote in. It sparked something in me, and ever since, I’ve been obsessed with magazines.
When we started, we were actually called Tigress and focused on teen girls! However, after a few years and as our community expanded to include a wider demographic, Tigress felt young and no longer suited our vibe. We wanted something more worldly and wise. The name Ramona came from my favourite children’s book character, Ramona Quimby, but it also means “wise protector,” which felt just right.
Our early goals were to create a space where girls, women, and anyone interested in our content could feel welcomed, soothed, and inspired. We wanted to empower people, rather than do what many magazines were doing at the time, which was making girls and women feel inadequate. I hope we’ve achieved that.
How has the magazine grown and evolved over time?
As a fully volunteer-run operation, we’ve been lucky to have some amazing team members come and go. I love that we've had so many interns who have stuck around for years, generously sharing their time and skills with Ramona in their spare moments. One of our very first interns, Haylee, is still with us today, and I’m grateful to call her a good friend.
As I’ve aged, so has our audience. While we still have many younger readers, a growing number of our contributors are now writing about motherhood and menopause. I love that our readers span all ages – I believe we can all learn so much from each other.
Our core principles remain the same: inclusion, empowerment, and creating a welcoming space.
Ramona has never shied away from intimate or ‘taboo’ topics, including sex, mental health, identity, grief. Why do you think it’s important to create space for those conversations?
Because we’re all going to experience these things in our lives, and I truly believe that sharing our experiences helps us feel less alone. When I had a miscarriage in 2016, the most healing thing for me was connecting with others who had gone through something similar. I ended up grieving alongside a woman I’d never met, from Phoenix, Arizona – and that connection meant everything. So for me, sharing so-called 'taboo' topics is a no-brainer. You can absolutely guarantee that someone out there needs to feel less alone, needs to feel that someone out there gets it – and Ramona is so proud to be a platform that nourishes those kinds of conversations.
What have been some of your biggest learnings so far as editor – have there been any great surprises or challenges along the way?
Ooh, what a great question – and one I’ve never really stopped to think about before. Honestly, just thinking of myself as an editor took a long time to come to terms with (hello, imposter syndrome!). One of the biggest things I’ve learned is how to have respectful disagreements. I used to be so angry, which is completely fair in a world that often makes women feel small, but over time, I’ve learned the value of conversation over confrontation. That fire is still in me, but now I try to channel it into thoughtful dialogue rather than jumping down people’s throats (but will block angry man trolls any day of the week).
In terms of challenges, the biggest one is continuing to grow Ramona while parenting full-time, managing a chronic illness that flares up occasionally, and doing it all without much financial support. I’d love for Ramona to grow to a point where we can pay our team and contributors – but in a way, there’s a kind of freedom in not having money behind us. We get to do what we want, when we want, and how we want. And through it all, we’ve had so many incredible experiences.
Personally, what has it been like navigating motherhood while continuing to run a publication? Has it shifted the way you approach your work or creativity?
Ramona has always been something I’ve done in any spare hours I have, so in that sense, not a huge amount has changed. But it has shifted our content and what I value. By sharing my experience of motherhood, I feel like I’ve attracted other mothers who feel similarly about the all-encompassing nature of it all – navigating self, identity, and the pressure to do everything.
I’ve also learned to delegate more, and I’ve had so many beautiful, generous people offer to help out and get involved. That’s something I love about Ramona and another lovely thing about not having money behind us is that the talented people who contribute do so because they believe in what we’re doing, and they know we’re doing it for love.
In addition to running Ramona, your work also appears regularly in publications such as Frankie. How do you balance editorial work with your own writing practice, and what are you currently working on?
Frankie has always been a dream for me – I spent years trying to get on their pages (and I cringe at some of the early articles I sent in!). So I’m beyond excited to now be a regular contributor and so lucky to work with the amazing team at Frankie, they are such lovely humans!
I love editing and conducting interviews for Ramona, but I also have a strong urge to express my own voice, so writing creatively is really important to me. I tend to work on Ramona during my toddler’s naps, but when it comes to writing for myself, I need a bit more space. So that usually happens on weekends or after the kids have gone to bed.
At the moment, alongside writing pieces for Frankie, I’ve been working on a middle grade novel! My seven-year-old has been the perfect sounding board, and I feel like we’re creating something really special together. I’ve always wanted to write a book, and middle grade felt like a great place to start – it’s also been a lovely way to bond with my eldest. Who knows if it’ll go anywhere, but either way, the process of writing a whole book has been incredibly humbling and fun!
Ramona is a great supporter of emerging writers. How can young creatives contribute to the magazine, and what do you look for in a pitch?
We absolutely love helping new writers grow, and we aim to never turn anyone down – as long as their piece has a strong story and aligns with our values. We’re more than happy to work with writers to shape their work, no matter how rough it is.
When reading a pitch, I look for a clear idea of the story someone wants to tell, as well as kindness, a willingness to learn, and a collaborative spirit. We’re all about working together to make a piece the best it can be.
If you’ve got an idea, email us at info@ramonamag.com – we’d love to hear from you!
Freya Bennett is the co-founder and editor of Ramona Magazine. She is a writer from Dja Dja Wurrung Country who loves rainy days, libraries and dandelion tea. You can follow her on Instagram here.
Emily Riches is a writer and editor from Mullumbimby, currently living on Gadigal land (Sydney). She founded Aniko Press to bring passionate writers and curious readers together, discover new voices and create a space for creative community. Get in touch at emily@anikopress.com.