This theme issue is an exploration of the way in which feminist ideas appear in popular forms, especially feminist novelists, such as Angela Carter and Marge Piercy, have handled particular issues; it considers writing and it duscusses the popular genres that have been taken up by feminist writers - lesbian romance and stories for teenagers.The central concern is with the problems of putting across feminist ideas in popular crative writing. Which ideas can be presented in this form? How will they be read? Are some forms more amenable to fiminism than others? Is feminism being distorted by popularization? Does feminism come across as a `message' that spoils the pleasure of reading?