A Westbrook woman is working as the editor of a new quarterly magazine geared toward Maine women.

Janet Cooper of Oakland Avenue is the editor of the Maine Women’s Journal, which has just published its second issue. Cooper was asked to edit the magazine by Publisher Susan Neale of Yarmouth, who started the magazine in September of last year.

Cooper, who has worked previously on the Cheverus High School Magazine, said Neale was the driving force behind the Maine Women’s Journal, which came out with its first issue in March. “This is a passion she’s had for a number of years,” said Cooper.

Neale said she met Cooper when they both were taking a business class at Women, Work and Community. After meeting Cooper, Neale said she asked her to come on as the magazine’s first editor. Now that the magazine has published its first two issues, Neale has nothing but praise for Cooper’s work. “I have an excellent editor,” she said.

The primary focus of the Maine Women’s Journal is to serve as a way to help women throughout the state and to allow them to make connections in their communities, said Neale. Besides containing articles aimed at informing and inspiring local women, Neale said each issue contains a guide listing local businesses and resources. Neale said she hopes this guide would be especially helpful to women who are new to Maine.

“If a woman has moved to the area, and you put the Maine Women’s Journal in her hand, she can get connected,” Neale said. “This is my way of continuing to help women.”

Neale, who previously worked as the executive director of Maine Women’s Network, said the circulation for the first issue of the free magazine was around 10,000 copies and 12,000 copies for the second issue. Neale hopes to boost that number to around 20,000 copies by the end of this year. “We just want to grow it,” Neale said.

Neale said the magazine is now available by subscription as well as at a wide variety of locations such as medical offices, restaurants, neighborhood markets, hair salons, libraries and real estate offices. “It’s found in places where women congregate,” Neale said. She said the response to the first issues has been positive. “The people of Westbrook have been very supportive,” said Neale.

For more information on the Maine Women’s Journal, or to read the summer issue, visit the magazine’s Web site at www.mainewomensjournal.com.