The Women Writers Who Shaped My Literary World

From the moment I could read, women authors have guided, challenged, and comforted me. While many names appear again and again on lists of “Top Women Writers,” it’s the personal connections that leave the deepest marks. For me, that includes the bold lyricism of Nikki Giovanni, the vivid neighborhoods painted by Sandra Cisneros, the ancestral magic of Tomi Adeyemi, and the romantic epics of Rebecca Brandewyne. Writers like Leslé Honoré, Amy Tan, Beatriz Nascimento, Marion Zimmer Bradley, and the brilliant, gothic mind of Mary Shelley didn’t just tell stories—they made space for mine. They showed me the power of perspective, the richness of cultural voice, and how the female experience deserves both spotlight and nuance.

From childhood to today, writers like these have broadened the ways I read and experience literature, and how I would eventually write literature: greater representation, appreciation for the female perspective in historical fiction, awe at prose that can evoke strong emotions or keep me up reading all night, and being able to “run” in horror because Mary Shelley walked.

I could go on and on for days, but I especially want to praise Charlotte Perkins Gilman (The Yellow Wallpaper), who showed me that writing about psychological and human rights topics in an understated and nonsensational way is very possible. Dr. Toni Morrison inspired me to carve out time in my everyday life for writing—and to aspire to become a Nobel prize laureate! And finally, Zora Neale Hurston continues to inspire me by her work in anthropology, folklore studies, and writing Florida as a setting.

Each book, each poem, each sleepless night with a novel in my hands reminded me that writing is more than craft—it’s legacy. These authors helped me see myself in stories where I had once been invisible and pushed me to write with heart, depth, and truth. In a way, I write because they did. I tell my stories because they made it possible to believe mine were worth telling. This Women’s History Month, I celebrate the women who shaped my imagination and spirit—and invite you to reflect on the voices who shaped yours.

#WomensHistoryMonth