Inspire Appreciation for Women Writers

Today is International Women's Day. What better way to celebrate than to write about it on my blog? Last year (and this year still) has been difficult for women, but campaigns like the #metoo and #timesup movements are opening conversations that have for too long been behind closed doors. Women are making strides to make sure no one takes away their voice. Time's up. 

Women writers are included in this group. Usually, I reserve my writing topics for my Weekend Writing posts, but I believe this is an exception to my regular routine. I'm celebrating the women writers who have influenced me in my lifetime. These writers are important to me in many ways--because they showed me that I, too, can be a woman writer.

Barbara Park (photo/New York Times)

1. Barbara Park

I'm starting at the very beginning of my life as a reader. Barbara Park wrote the popular children's series, Junie B. Jones. These books are about the life and adventures of Junie B. Jones, a kindergarten student who always seemed to find herself in trouble. I remember reading these books cover-to-cover in one day when I was in the first grade. The series was one of the first where I was hooked from the very beginning. Barbara Park helped me fall in love with reading, and I'll always be thankful for that experience.


2. Judy Blume 

Judy Blume (photo/The Independent)

I read Judy Blume's books when I was in upper-elementary school and middle school. Judy Blume was one of the first writers to write openly about puberty. She wasn't afraid to write about the changes in a woman's body. Her characters are real. They have questions about puberty--many of the same questions I also shared. I think Judy Blume should receive more credit for opening up conversations and inspiring women to write about their bodies. She wasn't afraid of the critics (who banned her books). She wanted to write the books young teenagers needed to read...and they did read them. And we loved your books, Judy.

Laura Ingalls Wilder (photo/biography.com)

3. Laura Ingalls Wilder 

How many writers can you think of whose work inspired a memorable television series? Most widely known for writing the Little House on the Prairie series, Wilder based these novels on her childhood growing up in a pioneer family. Her compelling stories and mastery of literary techniques helped set the precedent for future children's books, much like the ones Judy Blume and Barbara Park wrote decades later.

Plus, who didn't read those books as a child and want to live in your own little house on the prairie? If I ever find myself in Minnesota, I'll be sure to visit Walnut Grove.


4. Harper Lee 

Harper Lee (photo/New York Times)

Harper Lee won the Pulitzer Prize for her 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. I remember reading the novel in my high school freshman English class. I immediately fell in love with the writing. Much of the book is autobiographical and details what Lee saw as a child growing up in the South. The powerful story is best remembered for showing racial inequality and injustice. All men are created equal, right? Harper Lee remains one of my favorite women writers of all the time, simply because she widened my perspective on diversity.


5. Louisa May Alcott 

Louisa May Alcott (photo/Mental Floss)

Who didn't love Little Women when they read it for the first time? My middle name is Jo and I often like to tell people when they ask about my middle name that it's inspired by Jo March, the main protagonist in Little Women who also is a writer. This isn't true at all, but I'm thinking my parents were predicting my future as a writer when they named me. Little Women is a heartwarming story about four sisters living with their mother during the Civil War while their father is away fighting. It's a story every young girl should read at some point in her life.

Louisa May Alcott wasn't just a writer, but she was also an advocate for women's rights and ending slavery. Through her professional and personal life, she inspired and empowered women of all ages to be more independent and follow their dreams, regardless of what society has to say.

Jane Austen (photo/Goodreads.com)

6. Jane Austen

Could I really leave Jane Austen off this list? Not at all! Austen is best known for her romantic fiction novels, including Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and more. She influenced British literature with her use of literary realism, social commentary, and she's one of the first writers of her early 19th-century writing that had confident, powerful female protagonists as the star of her works. While most readers fall in love with Mr. Darcy, we can't help but love Elizabeth Bennet at the same time.


7. Virginia Woolf 

Virginia Woolf (photo/wikipedia.com)

Virginia Woolf was a feminist writer long before the term "feminism" became a mainstream word. She was a literary genius who broke the mold for 20th-century novelists. She is known for her experimental writing and essays that enlightened readers on gender differences. Her work impacted so many people--readers, scholars, historians, and more. 

Woolf even wrote once, "A feminist is any woman who tells the truth about her life." We're very glad she decided to tell the truth about her life. 


8. The Bronte Sisters 

The Bronte sisters were living in a time period when they were forced to publish their work under male pen names. I couldn't even imagine doing something like that today. Emily Bronte only wrote one book in her lifetime, Wuthering Heights. But, the novel has become one of the most successful works in British literature and captures women's hearts across the world.

Charlotte Bronte wrote Jane Eyre and the novel is regarded as one of the best "feminist" novels ever to be written. Charlotte wrote about repressed women, making a significant mark on the literary world.

The Bronte sisters (photo/The Telegraph)

Lastly, Anne Bronte is often the "forgotten" sister in this trio of writing sisters. She wrote Agnes Gray and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. While either two novels aren't nearly as successful as her sisters' works, Anne should be remembered just as much as her sisters for also celebrating strong women in her writing.


9. Sylvia Plath 

Sylvia Plath (photo/Poetry Foundation)

I didn't read anything from Sylvia Plath until I was in college. I know, I know--how sad! When I first read her poetry, I couldn't believe what I had been missing. Plath wrote about her life (she was a confessional poet, after all). As we know, she didn't have the most pleasant life (committing suicide in 1963), but she wrote about these experiences. We have some of the best poetry ever written, as well as The Bell Jar--which tackles feminist issues, including sexual double standards and the search for identity. Seriously, you need to read The Bell Jar at least once in your lifetime.


10. Emily Dickinson 

Emily Dickinson (photo/Academy of American Poets)

I'm saving my favorite woman writer to conclude this list of influential writers. If you follow my blog, it shouldn't be a surprise that I'm featuring Emily Dickinson--my Emily. During the 1800s, Emily's poetry style was unlike anyone else's. She was an innovator, who used unconventional techniques, including short lines, slant rhyme and unusual capitalization and punctuation. She was an original pre-modernist poet. So many writers try to copy her technique, but it's impossible because it was hers. The majority of Emily's poetry wasn't published until after her death, but I hope she knows the influence she has made on others as a woman writer. At least, I hope she knows the influence she made on me. 

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There are so many more influential women writers that didn't make this list, including Maya Angelou, J.K. Rowling, Alice Walker, S.E. Hinton, Agatha Christie, Mary Shelley, Kate Chopin, George Eliot, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Ayn Rand, Margaret Mitchell, Edith Wharton, Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston, and so, so, so many more. I wish I could devote more time to these writers, but I only have so much space in this weird little place called the internet.

Women writers wrote about what it was like to be a woman in the past, but their writing is still influential today. While we're experiencing the #metoo and #timesup movements, we can still turn to these writers and learn from their messages. Don't give up. Don't let anyone take away your voice. We are beautiful.

Celebrate these women writers on International Women's Day. And to all of my fellow women writers out there, keep writing. We need you.

-KJL-