Happy International Women's Day!

Hello readers!

March 8th is International Women's Day. It's a worldwide celebration and recognition of the social, cultural, and political achievements of women. It's also a call to action for combatting gender inequality and boosting women's rights. Although advocates had been marking the day since the early 20th century, it was officially recognized by the U.N. in 1977. 

The month of March is also Women's History Month. That became official in 1987. 

We can do it!

So let's take a moment to recognize some great women. For our purposes, we'll feature three great women writers that we love. 

Mary Shelley (1797-1851)

The godmother of science fiction, Shelley defied societal norms and expectations for women of her time, and wrote the groundbreaking masterpiece "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus". The best part? She created it as a teenager, and got it published when she was 21! To write such a gripping tale (in a new genre) while elegantly exploring themes of ambition, creation, and the consequences of unchecked scientific pursuits at that young age puts her on another level. She wrote five other fiction novels in addition to "Frankenstein", and helped edit her husband's poetry. She endured much suffering, losing three of her four children and her husband, before succumbing to a brain tumor at just 53 years old.  

Richard Rothwell's portrait of Shelley

Virginia Woolf (1882-1941)

Another trailblazer who challenged societal norms, Woolf was a key figure in the modernist movement. She was a prolific writer, among her most popular novels were "To the Lighthouse", "Mrs. Dalloway", and "Orlando: A Biography". She also wrote biographies, essays, and hard-to-categorize work like "The Waves" which feels like a long prose poem in novel form. She often wrote about war, and social class, critiquing England's class structure, admittedly from a place of great privilege. She was fascinated by the sea, and one day, whilst in a deep depression, she committed suicide by filling her overcoat with stones and walking into the river Ouse. Her effect on pop culture was profound, as evidenced by the Oscar-winning film "The Hours", and the Tony-winning play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?". 

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Maya Angelou (1928-2014)

Insightful. Empowering. Resilient. Maya Angelou's writing celebrates the strength of the human spirit. From poems like "Still I Rise" to autobiographies (she wrote seven of them!) like "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" to feature films like "Down in the Delta", she could do it all. And she did. Her work extended far beyond writing and into social justice. Angelou was a strong advocate for civil rights, social justice, equality, and African American women. Her enduring impact on the literary and cultural landscape makes her a towering figure, even a decade after her death. 

A literary giant

We're going to read some more Shelley, Woolf, and Angelou this month, and we hope you do too. 

Happy International Women's Day! 

And Month!

Until next time,

~2authors