#Feminist writers

[uwmspeccoll]

International Women's Day

In celebration of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day (March 8), we’re showcasing one of writer, educator, intersectional feminist, poet, civil rights activist, and former New York public school librarian Audre Lorde’s (1934–1992) early collections of poetry. From a Land Where Other People Live was published in 1973 by Detroit’s groundbreaking Broadside Press. This independent press was founded in 1965 by poet, University of Detroit librarian, and Detroit’s first poet laureate Dudley Randall (1914-2000) with the mission to publish the leading African American poetry of the time in a well-designed format that was also "accessible to the widest possible audience." A comprehensive catalog of Broadside Press’s impressive roster of artists (including Gwendolyn Brooks, Nikki Giovanni, and Alice Walker, to name a few), titled Broadside Authors and Artists: An Illustrated Biographical Directory, was published in 1974 by educator and fellow University of Detroit librarian Leaonead Pack Drain-Bailey (1906-1983).  

Lorde described herself in an interview with Callaloo Literary Journal in 1990 as “a Black, Lesbian, Feminist, warrior, poet, mother doing [her] work”. She dedicated her life to “confronting and addressing injustices of racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia.” From a Land Where Other People Live is a powerfully intimate expression of her personal struggles with identity and her deeply rooted critiques of social injustice. The work was nominated for the National Book Award for poetry in 1974, the same year that Broadside Press published New York Head Shop and Museum, another volume of Lorde’s poetry featured in our collection. You can find more information on her writings and on the organization inspired by her life and work by visiting The Audre Lorde Project.     

More posts on Broadside Press publications  

More Women’s History Month posts  

More International Women’s Day posts  

-- Ana, Special Collections Graduate Fieldworker 

[divno]

I write only because

There is a voice within me

That will not be still

Sylvia Plath, Letters Home

[thoughtportal]

ow to Suppress Women's Writing is a book by Joanna Russ, published in 1983.[1] Written in the style of a sarcastic and irreverent guidebook, it explains how women are prevented from producing written works, not given credit when such works are produced, or dismissed or belittled for those contributions which they are acknowledged to have made. Although primarily focusing on texts written in English, the author also includes examples from non-English works and other media, like paintings. Citing authors and critics like Suzy McKee Charnas, Margaret Cavendish, and Vonda McIntyre,[1] Russ aims to describe the systematic social forces that impede widespread recognition of the work of female authors.

Although Russ was an active feminist and one of the central contributors to the feminist science fiction scene during the late 1960s and 70s,[2] How to Suppress Women's Writing marked a transition towards her focus on literary criticism.[3] In the same decade, she went on to write an essay entitled "Recent Feminist Utopias," which was later published in 1995 as part of her book, To Write Like a Woman: Essays in Feminism and Science Fiction.

[tayabtheauthor]

I am proudest as a guest

when I am unwanted

I refuse to pluck my eyes out like a plume from ink,

letting my eyelids become black-out curtains.

I’ll gargle the blood rising from the incision through my larynx and let sound waves out when I am to quiet down. Sirens for the apocalypse to some,

I’ll hope against all odds the ships set up to sail will have no lighthouse and I will be all storm.

I’ll unwind the stitch, a tick dug into my pliable grey matter until I find the bomb and speed up the process.

[dreamy-conceit]

Create dangerously, for people who read dangerously. … Writing, knowing in part that no matter how trivial your words may seem, someday, somewhere, someone may risk his or her life to read them.

— Professor Edwidge Danticat

[midnat-journey]

I ask my mother: "what do you desire?" She says: "I would like to go, see the ocean."

My father laughs; I do not. A woman's death is a slow one, it happens piece by piece.

And one day, bones heavy, mind alive, she sits quietly and thinks

I would've liked to see the world, too"

[rooftopgenius]

Why I keep revisiting Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun...

I first discovered Chimamanda in college through a leisurely stroll through a fancy bookstore in Calcutta, it was spring and the yellow and white cover of Half of a Yellow Sun called out to me. I soon discovered that the upbeat book cover did not betray the somber tone of the story. Having never visited Nigeria, I was not sure if I would understand the story well, but I should have known that…

[samduqs]

my final degree project is about Muriel Spark I'm so excited!!!

[nanaimay]

Tokyo Weekender Article: 5 Trailblazing Japanese Women Writers 

An article I wrote and illustrated last year for Tokyo Weekender in celebration of International Women's Day, highlighting the groundbreaking work of five female writers from late Meiji, Taisho and Showa eras. You can check it out here.

"Japanese female authors have only recently been gaining recognition worldwide. It’s long overdue. The rising number of translated titles have flung names such as Mieko Kawakami and Sayaka Murata into the spotlight. Aside from receiving high international acclaim, their books touch on important feminist issues. In a society where women are still pressured to meet patriarchal standards, Japanese female writers today speak openly about the female body, notions of womanhood and misogyny.

Yet these topics are not new to the Japanese literary scene. The country has had a long history of women challenging social norms through their work. Living during the turbulent late Meiji, Taisho and Showa eras, these writers, many of whom were also activists, witnessed their country undergo profound political and social transformation. In the face of changing times, the fierce language of some and the quiet but powerful writing of others spoke volumes. The work of these women not only paved the way for modern-day counterparts but continues to inspire generations of readers."

You can continue reading this article on Tokyo Weekender’s webpage.

[philiprappaport]

[whatthehellami]

"I prefer natural women."

No you don't.  You absolutely don't, darling. Because natural is body hair which might be more than what you have. Natural is pimples, acne, and every 'natural' problem which occurs when you have skin. Natural is darkcircles and dandruff. Natural is cellulite and stretch marks. And the natural body of a woman definitely does not have perky breasts, a flat stomach and a plump butt.

So please do not give me the bullshit that you like natural women because you don't.

[femmefatalevibe]

Femme Fatale Guide: How To Decenter Men In Your Life

Consider the values, goals, and desired lifestyle that feel most authentic to you if social scripts/stigmas didn't apply to you

Take time to become radically honest with your desires as an individual – outside of the perception of men, your family, boss, teachers, peers, etc.

Cultivate a sense of personhood and identity established in your interests, hobbies, skillsets, learning capabilities, creativity, and desire for growth in all aspects of life

Act in your own best interests. Speak up for your needs, and advocate for yourself. Be more "selfish." Don't apologize for what you want and go after it. Act in your own best interests

Become confident in negotiating, assertive communication, and standing on your own two feet. Establish relationships in all aspects that are based on mutual benefit and equitable exchange

Unlearn your self-sacrificing & people-pleasing. Stop shrinking yourself or suppressing your needs to make others feel better or more comfortable

Validate yourself: your needs, desires, goals, dreams, preferences, and opinions. You need to choose yourself every day. Your appeal to others means nothing if you don't like the person you are or are becoming to satisfy the needs or desires of others

Consider the ways you're consciously and subconsciously confining your self-expression and belief system to fit the mold/appease the patriarchy. Actively work to deconstruct this mentality and way of being

Be honest with yourself about how men enrich your life. Not the other way around. Do they fulfill you romantically, sexually, both, or neither? There's no right or wrong answer, except the one that requires you to put on a performance rather than live in alignment with your true self

More resources including book recommendations/creators to follow HERE.

[arson-09]

the average acotar fans r so boring. like wdym you have no concept of media literacy or complex characters. Why does everything have to be spelled out for you? I have never seen such a flat and lowkey boring male character receive so much love (rhysand) when he does the bare minimum and also. SUCKS.

[gothicrocks]

Kathleen Hanna

[midnat-journey]

writing and especially sharing your writing can be such a difficult experience. you pour your heart and soul into this work and you’re supposed to show it to someone else? to expose parts of you you barely understand yourself? to look at someone and say I’m human, here’s my life, my love, my pain.

[rooftopgenius]

A historical personality I would love to resurrect with their consent....

Virgina Woolf, all the way. Like many women writers, I hold Virginia Woolf in high esteem, she is a role model, a mentor and a literary Godmother. She has a unique voice, which I like to liken with the comforting tidings of Fall-Autumn. A woman so brilliant and gifted, and yet, what mostly gets talked about is her decision to end life on her own terms, her brilliance gets eclipsed by her…