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.
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

by Stephanie Buschardt
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 »
Photo of author Morgan Jerkins

“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 »
Photo of author Melissa Febos

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 »

Pages

Best of Bitch

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 »

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 »

Rewriting the Future: Using Science Fiction to Re-Envision Justice

by Walidah Imarisha
Spring 2015 • Law & Order
Our justice movements desperately need science fiction. 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 »