By Doug Holder

Rose Gardina, is a small, petite woman but her creative vision is large and expansive. Gardina is a dedicated Gay Rights Activist, and a promoter of female independent artists; be it musicians, poets, writers,painters, or photographers.

She is also the publisher of The Boston Girl Guide a biannual print magazine, and website, that is a huge resource for independent artists of all stripes. Gardina is dedicated to getting media exposure for artists who are just emerging.

“We think real big here and the possibilities for us, in our eyes, are endless. There will always be hope on our pages,” Gardina said.

I talked with Gardina on my Somerville Community Access TV Show Poet to Poet/Writer To Writer.

Doug Holder: What inspired you to start The Boston Girl Guide?

Rose Gardina: It was a combination of things. When I was younger I was writing a lot . I submitted my work to quite a few places, and I never got a response. You know…door slamming after door slamming. In the back of my mind I thought if I had the opportunity to help people I would ; especially people that I considered talented. So when the magazine started it was my way of featuring artists. I get letters from people who have had something as simple as a poem published, writing: “Thank you so much you don’t know what it means to me.”

After the magazine got bigger we started doing signed artists. The main foundation of the magazine is to cover signed artists. This is so because when we run the independent artists with the big names they are getting the secondary media exposure. Not everybody will pick up a magazine if they are not familiar with the artists. It’s tough breaking into the business at any level. We need venues like this for people to have a place to go.

Doug Holder: What turned you off to corporate culture?

Rose Gardina: It’s almost like a love/hate relationship. As far as the corporate world was concerned I was very good at what I did. I was the manager of a department that did quite well. I was the top five in sales for nine consecutive years. The thing about the corporate world it is top heavy with white men. It’s really hard to move up the ladder.

Men often move up in a matter of two years, depending on if they play golf with the CEO. Women have to work twice as hard in the industry. Its too bad because I really loved what I did. I really feel bad for the women I left there and put their time in.

Doug Holder: So this drive to do the magazine came after you left the corporate world?

Rose Gardina; I started the magazine when I was still with the company. The magazine was something that I did on my own time.

Doug Holder: You also have a Boston Girl Guide Website http://www.thebostongirlguide.com . Can you tell me about what the visitor would find here?

Rose Gardina: The site is just a monster. It’s a huge resource center now. It’s an accumulation of the past twenty-two issues we printed—and everything we published since then. There is a photo gallery and we cover large venues like The Earth Fest I try to cover bigger venues that contribute proceeds to causes. We cover The Newport Folk Festival and almost every concert that comes through town.

Doug Holder: You are openly Gay, and openly a Gay Activist. Is The Boston Girl Guide a Gay Magazine?

Rose Gardina: We are a women’s creative magazine…period! We feature Straight and Gay women. It is a magazine for WOMEN. We have a feature section titled Boys On The Side that feature independent male artists as well. Half my staff is Gay, and half is Straight. The magazine is about helping people out.

Doug Holder: Can you talk about any Somerville, Mass. venues you organized, or any Somerville artists you promoted?

Rose Gardina: Monique Ortiz is from the Somerville area. We feature her a lot. I have very fond stories of Somerville. My mother grew up here. She would talk about how she would go to Davis Square, and all the malt shops, not to mention The Somerville Theatre.

When I started the magazine, and I started to come to Davis Square; I just had a good feeling about the area. I live in Brockton but 85% of my meetings are at the Diesel Cafe. I could put 500 magazines there, and they would be gone in five days.

Doug Holder: You are a writer yourself, aren’t you?

Rose Gardina: I do some of the interviews for the magazine. I personally interviewed Sophia B. Hawkins, to name one. My music editor is out on the West Coast.

Doug Holder: Why do you use a pen name?

Rose Gardina: I want to feel the magazine is for everyone else and I am not inudating it with my own material.

Doug Holder: You are now managing Jennifer Matthews, the poet/vocalist.

Rose Gardina: We get 40 press kits a month from artists. Jennifer’s kit came in during February 2004. I sent it out to my music editor. She called me and said: ” Did you listen to Jennifer?” But I lost track of her. Debbie Priestly, the cofounder of the Out of the Blue Art Gallery in Cambridge, started putting a buzz in my ear about Jennifer.

I got her book, and I read it. There was a lot of deep stuff that I could connect with. We shared similar experiences that I could connect with. I wrote her an email. Then I called her, but I still didn’t hear her yet. We set up a meeting.

Before that I heard her sing at a small club in East Boston. When I was coming through the door I first heard her voice. It just sucked you in. She was just incredible. When we spoke we had this great conversation. I’ve never been more blown away and I’ve seen a lot of people. She just crawls right inside of you.

Right now I am doing a variety of things to promote her. We are looking at TV shows, film scores, etc.. This is my main focus now.