Margaret Anderson conceived "The Little Review" in 1914 during the Chicago Literary Renaissance, naming it in honor of the Chicago Little Theatre, a leader in championing new drama and prime mover in the nascent Little Theatre Movement. In "The Little Review’s" opening editorial, Anderson called for the creation of a new form of criticism for art, emphasizing, “... criticism as an art has not flourished in this country. We live too swiftly to have time to be appreciative; and criticism, after all, has only one synonym: appreciation”. This philosophy would shape the magazine throughout its fifteen-year run. In the early years, "The Little Review" published a variety of literature, essays, and poetry. The magazine advocated themes like feminism and even anarchism for a short time. Emma Goldman was a key figure during "The Little Review’s" brief affiliation with anarchism: Goldman was a regular contributor and Anderson wrote editorials advocating anarchism and art. In 1916, Heap became the magazine's co-editor and stayed with the magazine until 1929.