Ethel is a platform and creative project fueled by a desire to express purposeful, well-rounded femininity, and to explore the perspective and brilliance of women so we can better understand and embrace our world.

The concept for this publication was inspired by my (Allison’s) great, great Aunt Ethel, who was many things—but among them, an educator, a benefactor, and an independent traveler. She was an impressive picture of femininity for a woman born in 1903. Just as I have seen flickers of myself and who I want to be in this distant image of a storied family member, I look for these women everywhere I go and hope to engage the world around me in similar ways—full of humility, spunk, and purpose.

At Ethel, we believe that intellectual, experience-based conversation cultivates empathy for the complexities of life and drives us to be more whole-hearted, generous individuals. We believe that women fuel and drive these conversations, too often from the background, and we want to take that to the front page. Not just story, not just emotion, and not just reporting, but the intersection of it all—just as it occurs in our real lives. We’re hoping to contribute to a more beautiful world and to meaningful legacies. We hope you’ll join the conversation.