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First and foremost, happy Women’s History month! For March’s reading recommendations, I thought I’d lean away from leprechauns and instead focus on historical women writers whose work I personally admire.
The first writer is Virginia Woolf, who was well known for her fiction work as well as her essays on literature and feminism. I recently read “Orlando,” probably Woolf’s most quirky and playful novel. This story begins with Orlando, a young English nobleman, during the Elizabethan era, and follows him through many stages of life.
The pivotal point of this novel is when Orlando transitions from a man to a woman. This was quite a revolutionary thing to write about at its time, and Woolf does so in a remarkably light, accepting, matter-of-fact way. Orlando is a poet, and I found her tumultuous relationship with her writing very relatable. At times she rejects her poetic inclinations, at others she places her poetry above all else. Sometimes she feels like a failure and other times, a genius.
Woolf leads readers on a delightful, time-bending journey through Orlando’s many lives, exploring themes of gender, sexuality and self-discovery along the way. Throughout it all, Orlando continues to come back to the thing that makes her feel most alive: her art.
The next writer is Octavia Butler, the author of the “Parable of the Sower” and “Parable of the Talents” duology. Octavia Butler was a science fiction writer and played a defining role in the establishment of the feminist dystopian genre. Her novels are part of a genre called Afrofuturism, an artistic movement that centers Black history and culture to imagine a liberated future.
This duology is set in an apocalyptic world greatly impacted by climate change and social inequality. “Parable of the Sower” was published in 1993, yet continues to be extremely relevant today. It makes for a very dark, yet interesting read as Butler explores the grim possibilities of where our future could be headed, and serves as a warning to avoid such fates.
This duology follows teenager Lauren Olamina as she struggles to survive and find her place in the world. Lauren has Hyperempathy Syndrome, which is the ability to feel the pain and pleasure of others. This ability is both a hindrance and a gift.
As she is forced to embark on a journey away from the gated community her family is from, she encounters other travelers and discovers her abilities as a leader. She creates a religion called Earthseed, which focuses on the power of change. Earthseed is a guiding light out of the darkness for Lauren and her fellow travelers, and it inspires hope that they may create a safe community in their deteriorating world.
The final writer is the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver. I’d read bits and pieces of her work, but I recently decided to dive in and buy one of her books of poems. I chose “Blue Horses,” and I’ve been loving it. I decided that I wanted to read more poetry this year, so I’ve been reading one poem every day. This is a practice that I recommend every reader takes up, whether you like poetry or not—in fact, maybe you’ll discover your love for poetry this way! It’s been really nice to take a few minutes out of my day to sit with some meaningful words.
Anyway, back to Mary Oliver. She often combines writing about the natural world with everyday human experiences. Her work is very accessible to read, so it’s a great place to start for someone beginning their poetry journey. I think lots of people lean away from poetry because it can often be hard to understand, but reading Oliver makes you feel like you’re in on the secret. Anyone who loves the simple beauty of the world will connect to Oliver’s work.
Whenever I read her poetry, I feel peace, calm, connection and understanding. Each word she writes is precious and packed with truth about what it means to live in this world. Oliver’s poems are a very valuable commodity, and I savor each one I read.
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