By Nava Atlas | On April 27, 2017 | Updated March 27, 2023 | Comments (3)
Flannery O’Connor (1925 – 1964) was best known for her short stories that were in the genre of Southern Gothic. She enjoyed imparting wisdom on her craft, as you’ll find in the following selection of Flannery O’Connor quotes on writing and literature.
Despite poor health she wrote every day, eventually producing two novels and more than thirty short stories in an all-too-brief life. She always stood somewhat apart, an observer; there was nothing she wanted to do other than write.
At the age of 24, she was ready to begin her writing career in earnest and produced iconic stories like A Good Man is Hard to Find. She had a lot to say about the writing life, which you’ll find ahead. She was only 39 when she died. Read More→
By Emma Ward | On April 10, 2017 | Updated October 17, 2022 | Comments (0)
Nella Larsen‘s 1929 novella Passing focuses on two middle-class Black women who reunite after a long break from their childhood friendship. Following are some insightful quotes from Passing by Nella Larsen, a classic novel of the Harlem Renaissance era.
Passing is the story of two friends, Irene and Clare, both of mixed race, and both who present a mostly white appearance.
But Clare has chosen to cross over the color line to live as white, even having married a white man who turns out to be a bigot. Irene “passes” when convenient, but lives in the Black community with her Black doctor husband and two sons. The women reunite after an absence of twelve years from their friendship, with dramatic consequences. Read More→
By Taylor Jasmine | On March 7, 2017 | Updated January 12, 2026 | Comments (0)
Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) lived in Amherst, Massachusetts where she studied at Amherst Academy with her siblings and wrote 1,800 poems over the course of her lifetime. Here we’ll enjoy a selection of poetic quotes by Emily Dickinson, most being beautiful isolated lines from her poems.
It was during the Civil War years that Emily developed her identity as a poet. She sent some of her poems to Thomas Wentworth Higginson, a noted literary figure.
His critique of her unorthodox style seemed to discourage her, and she retreated to the habit of keeping her writing private. Nevertheless, she continued to write copiously. Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On March 6, 2017 | Updated March 31, 2026 | Comments (0)
Louisa May Alcott (1832 – 1888), best known for the Little Women series, had a knack for spinning literary comfort. The following selection of best-loved Louisa May Alcott quotes demonstrate her wisdom and compassion.
Alcott had produced Moods (the first novel published under her real name as opposed to the aliases she used for her thrillers), Work: A Story of Experience, Hospital Sketches, and countless small pieces under her own name before Little Women that put her on the map.
Alcott had her share of struggles throughout her fifty-six-year life — poverty, ill health, and loss.Yet though it all she managed to see what was sweet in life and took greatest comfort in the love and companionship of her immediate family,especially her beloved mother.
Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On January 8, 2017 | Updated September 30, 2022 | Comments (1)
Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811 – 1896), abolitionist, author, and humanitarian, used her pen as a catalyst for change. She was also an advocate for women’s rights. Here is a selection of feminist quotes by Harriet Beecher Stowe, a woman ahead of her time.
Stowe is best known for Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which was the second best-selling book of the 19th century (just after the Bible), and the first international bestseller from any author, male or female. There’s little dispute that the book created a major shift in public perception of slavery.
She was also concerned with the status of women, and used both her fiction and nonfiction writing to impart messages about their strength, intelligence, and worth. Read More→
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