Books

an illustration of Ramona Quimby, an adolescent girl jumping in the air and smiling brightly

Ramona Taught Me: An Ode to Beverly Cleary’s Beloved Feminist Icon

April 8, 2021 at 12:05pm

Legendary children’s author Beverly Cleary died on March 25, but she left us with the eternal gift of Ramona Q. Read more »

“Caul Baby” Meditates on the Birthing of Black Women’s Lives

by Jordan Taliha McDonald

April 6, 2021 at 9:17am

The caul bearer is often featured as a prominent figure within mystical and spiritual lore around the world. Read more »

Ana Valens reflected in a mirror being held by hands wearing red opera gloves

Not Your Fetish: Trans Erotica Writers Redefine Desirability

by Ana Valens

March 31, 2021 at 11:13am

Trans people have produced erotica long before 2017 and will continue to do so long after. Read more »

The Act of Naming: “Girlhood” Embraces the Monster Within

by Stephanie Buschardt

March 30, 2021 at 9:12am

We’ll still be called sluts, witches, and harpies, so we may as well rise to the occasion. Read more »

Author Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, who wears a brown linen blazer, has dark hair, and wears red lipstick and glasses.

“When Women Invented Television” Revives the Forgotten Women of TV

by Shailee Koranne

March 30, 2021 at 9:04am

It’s time to honor the women behind television. Read more »

Randa Jarrar, an Arab American woman with short brown hair, holds her hand up to her face as she looks away from the camera

“Love Is an Ex-Country” Triumphantly Prioritizes the Power of Joy

by Madhuri Sastry

March 23, 2021 at 11:00am

Joy is a way to heal people and to move forward in a world that’s constantly throwing ridiculous things at us. Read more »

Kaitlyn Greenidge, a dark-skinned Black woman with long black locs, stands outside and smiles slightly

“Libertie” Questions the Nature of Freedom Itself

by Jordan Taliha McDonald

March 23, 2021 at 9:44am

What does it mean to be free? Read more »

Rebecca Carroll, a light-skinned woman with a big, curly afro smiles brightly

How Do Transracial Adoptees Survive the White Gaze? Just Ask Rebecca Carroll.

by Andrea Ruggirello

March 16, 2021 at 10:00am

Your story is bigger than your adoption. Read more »

Gabriela Garcia, a light-skinned Latinx woman with long blond hair and in gray plastic glasses, leans her head against her hand

“Of Women and Salt” Treats Immigrant Mothers as More Than Martyrs

by Barbara Sostaita

March 16, 2021 at 9:00am

Gabriela Garcia teaches us that we do migrant women a disservice when we romanticize their struggles. Read more »

A Black woman with long hair parted to the side sits in a gray chair and reads.

BitchReads: 7 YA Books Feminists Should Read in March

by Rachel Charlene Lewis

March 9, 2021 at 3:30pm

Books can be healing. Read more »

Best of Bitch

Black Girls Hunger for Heroes, Too: A Black Feminist Conversation on Fantasy Fiction for Teens

by Zetta Elliott

December 17, 2013 at 3:19pm

What happens when two great black women fiction writers get together to talk about race in young adult literature? That's exactly what happens... Read more »

Eat, Pray, Spend: Priv-Lit and the New, Enlightened American Dream

Elizabeth Gilbert, a white woman wearing a navy blue jumpsuit, leans forward and holds hand with and Oprah Winfrey, a Black woman wearing a gray cardigan and jeans

by Joshunda Sanders

Summer 2010 • Action

Even as reports on joblessness, economic recovery, and home foreclosures suggest that no one is immune to risk during this recession, the popularity of women’s wellness media has persisted and, indeed, grown stronger. Read more »

Hot Under the Bonnet: The Cooptation of Amish Culture in Mass-Market Fiction

a blue and white illustration of a woman in Amish attire standing next to a fan and a chicken

by Audrey deCoursey

Spring 2014 • Maps & Legends

Dubbed “Amish romance novels,” “Amish fiction,” or the more waggish “bonnet rippers,” these novels just one entry point into the varying images of Amish communities in U.S. popular culture. Read more »