By Nava Atlas | On October 10, 2018 | Updated July 27, 2020 | Comments (0)
A short story is a fantastic way to get a sense of an author’s voice. Here are ten thought-provoking classic short stories by women authors. You’ll be able to read some of them (those in the public domain) right here on this site; others are part of these authors’ short story collections.
In some ways, it can be more challenging to create a compelling narrative in a short form than within the span of a novel. Building suspense and getting the reader to care about the characters are true marks of craftsmanship. Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On October 7, 2018 | Updated March 25, 2026 | Comments (2)
In 1857, Harriet Ann Jacobs (February 11, 1813 – March 7, 1897) was completing a manuscript for an account of her life as an enslaved person, and of her struggle to free herself and her children.
It took several years to bring it to fruition, following years of seeking emancipation. Jacobs was urged by abolitionists she befriended once she was able to escape to New York and New England to tell her story.
After two publishers went bust on the eve of promised publication dates (unrelated to the book itself), Jacobs was able to procure the printing plates, and had the book privately published in a small edition. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written by Herself, was published in 1861.
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By Taylor Jasmine | On September 30, 2018 | Updated December 22, 2020 | Comments (0)
Willa Cather (1873 – 1947), it could be argued, wrote several Great American Novels, characterized by their stark beauty and economy of language. Her earlier novels include several that have remained classics, notably, O Pioneers!, The Song of the Lark, and My Ántonia — which came out in quick succession in the nineteen-teens.
Several novels, all well received, came out in the twenties. One of Ours (1922) received a Pulitzer Prize the following year. Here we take a brief look at the seven later novels of Willa Cather, beginning with A Lost Lady (1923). Read More→
By Taylor Jasmine | On June 28, 2018 | Updated January 3, 2024 | Comments (0)
For Octavia E. Butler (1947 – 2006), writing speculative and science fiction wasn’t merely a vehicle for escaping into fantasy, but a means to explore universal issues. This is certainly true of Kindred, the 1979 novel that is arguably her most iconic.
Butler’s deep and abiding interest in and observation of human nature — even within fantastical realms — is what makes her work so compelling and complex.
And yet her storytelling is flowing and natural. Her novels are tightly plotted page-turners; many of her protagonists are strong, believable Black women. Read More→
By Taylor Jasmine | On June 14, 2018 | Updated January 5, 2019 | Comments (0)
Five Children and It was the first of a trilogy by E. Nesbit (1858 – 1924), followed by The Phoenix and the Carpet and The Story of the Amulet.
In these books, readers meet Robert, Anthea, Jane, Cyril, and the baby called The Lamb.
The following description of Five Children and It is by Mary Noel Streatfeild, adapted from an introduction she wrote for Nesbit’s autobiography Long Ago When I was Young (Franklin Watts, 1966). Streatfeild herself the author of a classic children’s book series known as the “shoes” books, which began in 1936 with Ballet Shoes. Read More→
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