Books

10 Essential Books About Writing

An illustration shows a person with brown skin and brown hair with a pencil in their mouth, bookshelves with blue, purple, yellow, and pink book covers behind them, and a laptop in front of them.
by Nylah Burton
April 6, 2022 at 12:07pm
Must-read titles for writers include works by Elena Ferrante, Akwaeke Emezi, Meg Wolitzer, Yoko Ogawa, and more.
Dr. Jen Gunter, a white doctor with long, brown hair and wearing a red leather jacket. sits on concrete stairs

Stop Steaming Your Vagina and Other Wisdom from Dr. Jen Gunter

by Caroline Reilly
August 27, 2019 at 3:30pm
The Vagina Bible: The Vulva and the Vagina: Separating the Myth from the Medicine  tackles every old wives’ tale you heard as a teen. Read more »
Shelby Lorman sits next to her dog on a green couch. She wears gold earrings and a black suit jacket with striped pants.

Extremely Seen: “Awards for Good Boys” Author Shelby Lorman on Influencer Culture

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
August 22, 2019 at 1:44pm
“People think that I am ‘good’ or ‘better’ than because of the work I make, so I feel like I have to remind people that I’m an asshole. This is just my job.” Read more »
Carrie Goldberg, a lawyer dressed in a chic black shirt, glasses, and red lipstick, stands in front of a printed background with her arms folded

Better Call Carrie: Meet the Lawyer Fighting Online Abuse, One Creep at a Time

by Andi Zeisler
August 22, 2019 at 11:54am
Carrie Goldberg’s law firm makes it their business to unearth online victimizers. And business is booming. Read more »
Sady Doyle, a white woman with short brown hair and glasses, looks at the camera

Be the Monster: Sady Doyle Draws a Macabre Road Map of Female Monstrosity

by Caroline Reilly
August 13, 2019 at 3:32pm
Throughout history, patriarchal social norms have dictated an acceptable set of standards—mental, physical, relational, sexual—that non-cisgender men must conform to. Read more »
A black and white photo of author Annabel Gat, a white woman who has bangs and leans her head against her hands

Annabel Gat on Astrology, Heartbreak, and Embracing the Unknown

by Katherine Speller
August 11, 2019 at 7:15am
It’s not so much about our birth or the stars dictating how we love, flirt, and fuck. Instead it’s about wanting to understand the hows and whys of the ways we navigate our relationships. Read more »
A photo of James Baldwin, a Black man. Baldwin smiles and looks to the right of the camera.

7 Books by Queer Black Writers to Read in Honor of James Baldwin’s Birthday

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
August 2, 2019 at 3:55pm
Today, more LGBTQ Black authors are carving out the space that James Baldwin helped craft. Read more »
a photo of adrienne maree brown, a lightskinned Black person with a bull nose ring and shoulder-length blond, curly hair

Pleasure as Praxis: adrienne maree brown on Human Error, Longing, and the Power of Prioritizing Love

by Corinne Manning
July 25, 2019 at 9:00am
Capitalism often tricks us into functioning from a place of scarcity, where longing for pleasure is the most we can aspire to. But what if we could tap into our desires in small ways every day? Read more »
A photo of author Jenny Odell, who has brown hair and bangs and wears glasses while looking straight into the camera and not smiling.

Doing Nothing Is a Radical Idea for Marginalized People

by Izzie Ramirez
July 22, 2019 at 5:25pm
For marginalized people, doing “nothing” is the last resource we have. Read more »
an Indian woman with shoulder-length black hair stands in front of a green, rusting truck

Bye Sharam: Indian Women Are Tapping into the Enduring Power of Memoir

by Madhuri Sastry
July 17, 2019 at 10:19am
Sharam, or shame, is one of patriarchy’s most powerful weapons, and it begins early. Read more »
an illustration of a Black girl walking through the streets with two Black goddesses holding hot combs

“Hot Comb” Uplifts Black Women by Their Roots

by DW McKinney
July 12, 2019 at 10:35am
All Black women haven’t experienced the trauma captured in Hot Comb, but there are still broad strokes that all Black women have either shared in intimate dialogues with our friends and family. Read more »

Pages

Best of Bitch

Know & Tell: The Literary Renaissance of Trans Women Writers

by Katherine Cross
Winter 2015 • (Re)Vision
For so long, the people who wrote about us were not us. Finally, that is beginning to change. 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 »

Demanding the Impossible: Walidah Imarisha Talks About Science Fiction and Social Change

by Kristian Williams
April 13, 2015 at 2:23pm
Before she was a poet, journalist, documentary filmmaker, anti-prison activist, and college instructor, Walidah Imarisha was fascinated... Read more »

Mock & Awe: Janet Mock on Truth-Telling, Community Building, and Writing the Story She Had Been Waiting for Her Whole Life

Janet Mock, a transgender Hawaiian woman with curly, brown hair, smiles
by Tina Vasquez
Spring 2014 • Maps & Legends
“Redefining Realness” is written with astounding honesty and heart. Read more »