In the late 1970s, feminist art magazines were surfacing around the country, including The Feminist Art Journal (New York, 1972-1977), Heresies (New York, 1977-1992) and Chrysalis (Los Angeles, 1977-1980), among others.

With WARM’s gallery membership at its maximum of forty artists and a growing at-large membership, the organization circulated a newsletter and calendar of events to keep members informed of the collective’s activities, other local feminist art events, updates to the organization’s structure and general information. The newsletters grew thicker and thicker as members contributed more and more content. The members realized that in local media coverage of women’s artwork there was a lack of informed criticism as well as social and historical context. According to Patricia Olson, the WARM Journal “was a conscious effort to fill that gap—to encourage and commission writing and visual communication about women's art AND to develop a way of writing about women's art that was relevant to our work.” In late 1978, the newsletter took on the format of a journal that included articles, reviews of exhibitions and interviews with members. It is no surprise that WARM’s State of the Organization 1978 stated a goal to have a “snappy publication on us.” By the fall of 1980, the publication was renamed WARM Journal. 

According to an inscription inside the cover, WARM Journal was “a forum for the exchange of information and opinions of WARM members” and focused primarily on the artists, work and exhibitions of WARM members. It also shared regional and national events and interviews.