List of women writers

This is a list of notable female writers.

Contents :

A

Eleanor Hallowell Abbott (1872–1958), American poet, novelist and short story writer
Rachel Abbott, pen name of Sheila Rodgers (born c. 1953), best-selling English thriller author
Louise Abeita (born 1926), Native American Isleta Pueblo writer; I am a Pueblo Indian Girl
Sara Aboobacker (born 1936), Indian Kannada writer
Marguerite Abouet (born 1971), Ivorian graphic novelist
Leila Aboulela (born 1964), Sudanese writer
Abiola Abrams (born 1976), American TV host, art filmmaker and author; Dare
Kathy Acker (1947–1997), American novelist, poet, essayist and playwright; Blood and Guts in High School
Juliette Adam (1836–1936), French author and magazine editor
Abigail Adams (1744–1818), former First Lady of the United States, letter writer and diarist
Fleur Adcock (born 1935), New Zealand-born English poet and editor
Kim Addonizio (born 1954), American poet, novelist
Yda Addis (1857–1902), American writer and translator
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (born 1977), Nigerian novelist and short story writer; Purple Hibiscus
Renata Adler (born 1938), American author, journalist and film critic
Aelia Eudocia (c. 401–460), Byzantine religious writer in Greek
Aesara of Lucania (4th or 3rd century BC), Greek philosopher
Charlotte Agell (born 1959), American novelist and children's writer
Kelli Russell Agodon (born 1969), American poet, writer, and editor
Grace Aguilar (1816–1847), English novelist and writer on Jewish history and religion
Delmira Agustini (1886–1914), Uruguayan poet
Freda Ahenakew (born 1932), Canadian author and academic
Ilse Aichinger (born 1921), Austrian writer
Ama Ata Aidoo (born 1942), Ghanaian author and playwright
Joan Aiken (1924–2004), English novelist; The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
Lucy Aikin (1781–1864), English historical writer
Akazome Emon (956–1041), Japanese poet and historian
Grace Akello (born 1950), Ugandan poet, essayist, folklorist
Rachel Akerman (1522–1544), Austrian Jewish poet writing in German
Bella Akhmadulina (1937–2010), Russian/Soviet poet
Anna Akhmatova (1899–1966), Russian/Soviet poet; Requiem
Anna Åkerhjelm (1647–1693), Swedish writer and traveller
Anne-Marie Albiach (1937–2012), French poet and translator
Jordie Albiston (born 1961), Australian poet and academic
Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888), American novelist; Little Women
Isabella Macdonald Alden (1841–1930), American children's writer
Claribel Alegría (born 1924), Nicaraguan-born author and poet
Elizabeth Alexander (born 1962), American poet, essayist, playwright and academic
Svetlana Alexievich (born 1948), Belarusian journalist and writer
Álfrún Gunnlaugsdóttir (born 1938), Icelandic novelist
Zaynab Alkali (born 1950), Nigerian novelist, poet, short story writer
Al-Khansā (7th century), Arab poet
Isabel Allende (born 1942), Chilean/American novelist; Eva Luna, Daughter of Fortune
Phyllis Shand Allfrey (1908–1996), West Indian writer; The Orchid House
Svetlana Alliluyeva (1926–2011), Soviet writer and lecturer
Margery Allingham (1904–1966), English crime writer; Mystery Mile, Sweet Danger
Dorothy Allison (born 1949), American writer and speaker; Trash: Short Stories, Cavedweller
Almucs de Castelnau (c. 1140–pre-1184), French poet writing in Occitan
Mor Altshuler (born 1957), Israeli scholar and writer
Julia Álvarez (born 1950), Dominican-American poet, novelist and essayist; How the García Girls Lost Their Accents
Ifi Amadiume (born 1947), Nigerian poet, anthropologist and essayist
Valerie Anand (born 1937), British author of historical fiction
Ethel Anderson (1883–1958), Australian poet, essayist, novelist and painter
Laurie Halse Anderson (born 1961), American author, writes for children and young adults; Speak, Twisted
Jessica Anderson (1916–2010), Australian novelist and short story writer The Impersonators
Isabella Andreini (1562–1604), Italian playwright, poet and actress
Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen (1919–2004), Portuguese poet and writer
Eliza Frances Andrews (1840–1931), American novelist and Civil War writer
Maya Angelou (1928–2014), American autobiographer and poet; I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Jane Anger (late 16th century), English writer
Christine Angot (born 1959), French novelist and playwright
María Nsué Angüe (born 1945), Equatorial Guinean writer
Marion Angus (1865–1946), Scottish poet writing in Braid Scots and English
Anyte of Tegea (fl. early 3rd century BC), Greek poet
Gloria E. Anzaldúa (1942–2004), American author, poet and activist; Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza
Núria Añó (born 1973), Catalan writer and novelist
Helena Araújo Ortiz (born 1934), Colombian feminist author and literary critic
Maria Arbatova (born 1957), Russian novelist, playwright and poet
Elvia Ardalani, Mexican writer, poet, and storyteller
Hannah Arendt (1906–1975), German Jewish political theorist The Human Condition
Hiro Arikawa (born 1972), Japanese light novelist
Rae Armantrout (born 1947), American writer, language poet and professor
Karen Armstrong (born 1944), British author of numerous works on comparative religion; A History of God
Kelley Armstrong (born 1968), Canadian writer; Women of the Otherworld series
Louise Armstrong (1937–2008), American author and feminist
Bettina von Arnim (1785–1859), German writer and novelist
Elizabeth von Arnim (1866–1941), Australian-born British novelist; Mr. Skeffington
Elizabeth Arnold (born 1944), English children's writer
Joanne Arnott (born 1960), Canadian Métis writer
Harriette Arnow (1908–1986), American novelist
Daisy Ashford (1881–1972), English writer; The Young Visiters
Anastasia Ashman (born 1964), American author and cultural producer; Tales from the Expat Harem
Anne Askew (1520/21–1546), English poet and Protestant martyr
Francis Leslie Ashton (1904–1994), English novelist
Cynthia Asquith (1887–1960), English novelist and diarist
Margot Asquith (1864–1945), English author
Mary Astell (1666–1731), English feminist writer
Thea Astley (1925–2004), Australian novelist and short story writer; also some poetry
Cassandra Atherton (living), Australian prose-poet and academic
Gertrude Atherton (1857–1948), American writer
Eleanor Stackhouse Atkinson (1863–1942), American author, journalist and teacher
Kate Atkinson (born 1951), English novelist; Behind the Scenes at the Museum, Human Croquet
M.E. Atkinson (1899-1974, Mary Evelyn Atkinson), English children's novelist
Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (born 1984), American novelist
Margaret Atwood (born 1939), Canadian novelist, poet and critic; The Handmaid's Tale
Madeleine de l’Aubespine (1546–1596), French poet
Penelope Aubin (c. 1679–c. 1731), English novelist and translator
Dorothy Auchterlonie (1915–1991), English-born Australian academic, literary critic and poet
Jean M. Auel (born 1936), American novelist; Earth's Children series
Rose Ausländer (1901–1988), Bucovina-born poet writing in German and English
Jane Austen (1775–1817), English novelist; Pride and Prejudice
Mary Austin (1868–1934), American writer The Land of Little Rain
Sarah Austin (1793–1867), English translator from German
Auvaiyar, name shared by several poets in Tamil literature
Frau Ava (c. 1060–1127), first female writer in German
Victoria Aveyard
Margaret Avison (1918–2007), Canadian poet, editor and speaker
Marilou Awiakta (born 1936), Native American Cherokee author
Pam Ayres (born 1947), English poet, songwriter and radio/TV presenter
Azalais de Porcairagues (late 12th century), French poet writing in Occitan

Contents :

B

Mariama Bâ (1929-1981), Senegalese novelist; So Long a Letter
Natalie Babbitt (born 1932), American author and illustrator of children's books; Tuck Everlasting
Ingrid Bachér (born 1930), German playwright and screenwriter
Ingeborg Bachmann (1926–1973), Austrian poet, playwright and novelist
Delia Bacon (1811–1859), American writer of plays and short stories, best known today for her work on the Shakespeare authorship question
Yaba Badoe, Ghanaian novelist and filmmaker
Enid Bagnold (1889–1981), British author and playwright; National Velvet
Elisaveta Bagryana (1893–1991), Bulgarian poet; one of the mothers of Bulgarian literature
Baik Sou Linne (1982, Korean author)
Joanna Baillie (1762–1851), Scottish poet and dramatist
Beryl Bainbridge (1932–2010), English novelist
Deb Baker (born 1953), American mystery writer
Dorothy Baker (1907–1968), American novelist; Young Man with a Horn
Albena Bakratcheva (born 1961), Bulgarian author, best known for her work on American Transcendentalism
Faith Baldwin (1893–1978), American author of romance and fiction
Toni Cade Bambara (1939–1995), American author, social activist and college professor
Mary Ellen Bamford (1857–1946), American author
Ban Zhao (45–116 CE), first female Chinese historian; Lessons for Women
Helen Elliott Bandini, American writer, primarily of Californian history
Mary Jo Bang (born 1946), American poet
Zsuzsa Bánk (born 1965), German novelist
Leslie Esdaile Banks (born 1959), American author; The Vampire Huntress Legend Series
Maya Banks, American author of erotic romance
Helen Bannerman (1862–1946), Scottish children's writer; Little Black Sambo
Agnieszka Baranowska (1819–1890), Polish playwright and poet
Natalya Baranskaya (1908–2004), Soviet writer; A Week Like Any Other
Anna Laetitia Barbauld (1743–1825), English poet, essayist and children's author Eighteen Hundred and Eleven
Leigh Bardugo (born 1974), American young-adult and fantasy author
Arvède Barine (1840–1908), French writer and historian
Nicola Barker (born 1966), English novelist and short story writer
Pat Barker (born 1943), English novelist; Regeneration, The Eye in the Door, Ghost Road
Anna Barkova (1901–1976), Soviet poet, journalist, playwright, essayist, memoirist, and writer of fiction
Mary Barnard (1909–2001), American poet, biographer and Greek-to-English translator
Djuna Barnes (1892–1982), American writer; Ladies Almanack, Nightwood
Margaret Ayer Barnes (1886–1967), Pulitzer Prize-winning American author; Years of Grace
Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr (1831–1919), British American novelis;
Lynne Barrett, American writer and editor, best known for her short stories
Marie Bashkirtseff (1858–1884), diarist and artist
Allie Bates (born 1957), American writer
Katharine Lee Bates (1859–1929), American songwriter
Carol S. Batey (born 1955), American writer
Baudovinia (fl. c. 600), French religious writer in Latin; nun
Dawn-Michelle Baude (born 1959), American poet, journalist and educator
Vicki Baum (1888–1960), Austrian novelist
Gertrud Bäumer (1873–1954), German writer and feminist
Ada Ellen Bayly (Edna Lyall, 1857–1903), English novelist
Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986), French author and philosopher; She Came to Stay, The Mandarins
Margaret Bechard (born 1953), American children's writer
Béatrix Beck (1914–2008), French novelist; The Passionate Heart
Patricia Beer (1919–1999), English poet and critic
Mrs. Beeton (1836–1865), English domestic author; Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management
Aphra Behn (1640–1689), English playwright, poet and novelist; The Rover
Gioconda Belli (born 1948), Nicaraguan revolutionary and writer
Victoria Benedictsson (1850–1888), Swedish author
Elizabeth Benger (1775–1827), English novelist and biographer
Gwendolyn B. Bennett (1902–1981), African-American writer
Louise Bennett (1919–2006), Jamaican poet and folklorist
Sally Benson (1897–1972), American screenwriter and short-story writer
Nina Berberova (1901–1993), Soviet/Russian writer; The Tattered Cloak
Josefa Berens-Totenohl (1891–1969), German novelist
Juliana Berners (14th and 15th centuries), English writer on heraldry, hawking and hunting; The Book of Saint Albans
Bertice Berry (born 1960), American sociologist, author, lecturer, and educator
Mei-mei Berssenbrugge (born 1947), Chinese American poet associated with language poetry, the New York School, phenomenology, and visual art
Betty Berzon (1928–2006), American author
Annie Besant (1847–1933), English author, theosophist and activist; The Ancient Wisdom, Thought Forms
Elizabeth Beverley (fl. 1815–30), English pamphleteer and entertainer
L. S. Bevington (1845–1895), English poet, anarchist and essayist
Elizabeth Bibesco (1897–1945), English writer
Marthe Bibesco (1886–1973), Romanian writer in French
Hester Biddle (c. 1629–1697), English Quaker pamphleteer and preacher
Gisèle Bienne (born 1946), French novelist
Linda Bierds (born 1945), American poet and professor
Anna Bijns (1493–1575), Flemish humanist writing in Dutch and French
Bingxin (1900-1999), Chinese writer
Carol Birch (born 1951), English novelist
Charlotte Birch-Pfeiffer (c. 1800–1868), German playwright and actress
Isabella Bird (1831–1904), 19th-century English traveler and writer
Anne Bishop, American fantasy novelist; The Black Jewels series
Elizabeth Bishop (1911–1979), Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet and writer
Clementina Black (1853–1922), English novelist and political writer
Sarah Blackborow (fl. 1650s–1660s), English Quaker writer and preacher
Malorie Blackman (born 1962), Barbadian-born English author of literature and television drama for children and young adults; Noughts & Crosses series
Isa Blagden (1816 or 1817–1873), novelist and poet in English resident in Italy
Susanna Blamire (1747–1794), English poet
Neltje Blanchan (1865–1918), American nature writer; Bird Neighbors, Nature's Garden
Clair Blank (1915-1965), American author of the Beverly Gray mystery series
Barbara Blaugdone (c. 1609–1705), English Quaker autobiographer
Ann Eliza Bleecker (1752–1783), American poet and correspondent
Countess of Blessington (1789–1849), Irish novelist
Karen Blixen (1885–1962), Danish writer; Out of Africa
Francesca Lia Block (born 1962), American author; Weetzie Bat series
Valerie Bloom (born 1956), Jamaican poet and novelist
Amelia Bloomer (1818–1894), American writer, women's rights and temperance advocate
Judy Blume (born 1938), American novelist; Forever, Tiger Eyes
Enid Blyton (1897–1968), English children's writer; Famous Five series
Margarita Bobba (fl. 1560), Italian writer and poet
Imma von Bodmershof (1895–1982), Austrian poet
Louise Bogan (1897–1970), American poet; fourth US Poet Laureate
Margarete Böhme (1867–1939), German novelist; Tagebuch einer Verlorenen
Eavan Boland (born 1944), Irish poet
Sarah Knowles Bolton (1841–1916), American writer
María Luisa Bombal (1910–1980), Chilean author
Erma Bombeck (1927–1996), American humorist
Tanella Boni, Ivorian poet and novelist
Geraldine Bonner (1870–1930), American author
Marita Bonner (1899–1971), American writer, essayist and playwright, commonly associated with the Harlem Renaissance
Gertrude Bonnin (Zitkala-Sa) (1876–1938), Native American writer, editor, musician, teacher and political activist
Mary Everest Boole (1832–1916), English writer
Frances Boothby (fl. c. 1669–70), British playwright
Alice Borchardt (1939–2007), American writer of historical fiction, fantasy, and horror; The Silver Wolf, The Dragon Queen
Marianne Boruch, American poet and professor
Anne Lynch Botta (1815–1891), American poet, writer, teacher and socialite
Phyllis Bottome (1884–1963), British novelist and short story writer; The Mortal Storm, Danger Signal
Jane Bowdler (1743–1784), English poet and essayist
Elizabeth Bowen (1899–1973), Anglo-Irish novelist and short story writer; The Death of the Heart, The Heat of the Day
Jane Bowles (1917–1973), American writer and playwright; Two Serious Ladies
Mary Bowes (1749–1800), English playwright and botanist
Karin Boye (1900–1941), Swedish poet and novelist
Kay Boyle (1902–1992), American writer, educator and political activist
Leigh Brackett (1915–1978), American science fiction author; The Starmen, People of the Talisman
Mary Elizabeth Braddon (1837–1915), English novelist; Lady Audley's Secret
Marion Zimmer Bradley (1930–1999), American fantasy and science fiction writer; The Door Through Space, The Firebrand
Anne Bradstreet (1612–1672), American poet and writer
Shannon Bramer (born 1973), Canadian poet
Hannah Brand (1754–1821), English actress and playwright
Dionne Brand (born 1953), Canadian poet, novelist and essayist
Giannina Braschi (born 1953), Puerto Rican writer; Empire of Dreams, Yo-Yo Boing!, United States of Banana
Ann Brashares (born 1967), author of The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants series
Lily Braun (1865–1916), German feminist writer
Libba Bray (born 1964), American author of young adult novels; The Sweet Far Thing, Going Bovine
Angela Brazil (1868–1947), British writer
Jean "Binta" Breeze (born 1956), Jamaican dub poet and storyteller
Fredrika Bremer (1801–1865), Swedish writer and feminist activist
Sophia Elisabet Brenner (1659–1730), Swedish writer, poet, feminist and salon hostess
Martha Wadsworth Brewster (1710–c. 1757), American poet and writer; first American-born woman to publish under her own name
Patricia Briggs (born 1965), American fantasy writer
Mary Chavelita Dunne Bright (1859–1945), "New Woman" writer and feminist
Vera Brittain (1893–1970), English writer, feminist and pacifist; Testament of Youth
Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić (1874–1938), Croatian children's writer, nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature four times; Croatian Tales of Long Ago, The Marvelous Adventures and Misadventures of Hlapić the Apprentice
Erna Brodber (born 1940), Jamaican novelist and sociologist
Anne Brontë (1820–1849), English novelist and poet; The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Agnes Grey
Charlotte Brontë (1816–1855), English novelist and poet; Jane Eyre, Villette, Shirley
Emily Brontë (1818–1848), English novelist and poet; Wuthering Heights
Emma Brooke (1844-1926), "New Woman" novelist
Frances Brooke (1723–1789), English novelist, essayist, playwright and translator
Anita Brookner (1928–2016), English novelist and art historian; Hotel du Lac
Geraldine Brooks (born 1955), Pulitzer Prize-winning author of March
Gwendolyn Brooks (1917–2000), American writer; Annie Allen, We Real Cool
Nicole Brossard (born 1943), French Canadian formalist poet and novelist
Rhoda Broughton (1840–1920), English novelist
Olga Broumas (born 1949), Greek poet, living in the United States
Helen Gurley Brown (1922-2012), American author, publisher, and businesswoman
Pat Brown (born 1955), true crime author, criminal profiler
Rebecca Brown (born 1956), American author
Frances Browne (1816–1887), Irish poet and novelist
Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861), English poet; Aurora Leigh
Andrée Brunin (1937–1993), French poet
Mary Brunton (1778–1818), Scottish novelist
Colette Bryce (born 1970), poet from Northern Ireland
Bryher (aka Annie Winifred Ellerman) (1894–1983), English novelist, poet, memoirist, and magazine editor
Maria Elizabeth Budden (c. 1780–1832), English novelist, translator, and children's writer
Pearl S. Buck (1892–1973), Pulitzer Prize-winning American author; The Good Earth
Andrea Hollander Budy (born 1947), American poet
Buffalo Bird Woman (1839–1932), Native American Hidatsa writer
Anna Bülow (died 1519), Swedish writer, translator and abbess
Anna Bunina (1774–1829), Russian poet
Erika Burkart (1922–2010), Swiss poet and writer in German
Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849–1924), English playwright and children's writer; The Secret Garden
Frances Burney (1752–1840), English novelist, diarist and playwright; Evelina
Frances Burney (1776–1828), English author of closet drama and governess
Sarah Burney (1772–1844), English novelist
Margaret Busby, Ghanaian publisher, journalist, and dramatist
Olivia Ward Bush (1869–1944), American author, poet and journalist
Abena Busia (1953– ), Ghanaian poet and academic
Akosua Busia (1966– ), Ghanaian actress, novelist and screenwriter
Christine Busta (1915–1987), Austrian poet
Sharon Butala (born 1940), Canadian novelist
Octavia Butler (1947–2006), American science fiction writer; Patternist series, Lilith's Brood
Susan Bulkeley Butler, American motivational author
Mary Butts (1890–1937), English modernist writer
A. S. Byatt (born 1936), English novelist and poet; Possession: A Romance, Angels & Insects

Contents :

C

Meg Cabot (born 1967), American author; The Princess Diaries
Caroline Caddy (born 1944), Australian poet
Florence Caddy (1837–1923), English writer
Cai Wenji (born 177), Chinese poet and composer
Mona Caird (c. 1854–1932), Scottish novelist and essayist
Taylor Caldwell (1900–1985), Anglo-American novelist
Hortense Calisher (1911–2009), American writer
Maria Callcott (1785–1842), English author of children's books and travel writings
Bebe Moore Campbell (1950–2006), American novelist
Marion May Campbell (born 1948), Australian novelist and academic
Dorothy Canfield (1879–1958), American author; Understood Betsy
May Wedderburn Cannan (1893–1973), British poet
Minna Canth (1844–1897), Finnish writer and social activist
Lan Cao (born 1961), Vietnamese American writer; Monkey Bridge; The Lotus and the Storm
Jacqueline Carey (born 1964), American fantasy novelist; Kushiel's Legacy
Rosa Nouchette Carey (1840–1909), English novelist and children's writer
Leonora Carrington (born 1917), British-born Mexican artist, surrealist painter and novelist
Catherine Carswell (1879–1946), Scottish writer
Angela Carter (1940–1992), English novelist and journalist; Nights at the Circus, The Bloody Chamber
Elizabeth Carter (1717–1806), English poet, writer and Bluestocking
Caroline Carver
Lisa Crystal Carver (born 1968), American writer
Alice Cary (1820–1871), American poet, sister of Phoebe Cary
Elizabeth Cary (1585–1639), English playwright; The Tragedy of Mariam
Phoebe Cary (1824–1871), American poet, sister of Alice Cary
Adelaide Casely-Hayford (1868–1960), Sierra Leonean short-story writer and educator
Gladys May Casely-Hayford (1901–1950), Sierra Leonean poet
Kathryn Casey, American true crime author, novelist and journalist
Deirdre Cash (1924–1963, Criena Rohan), Australian novelist
Kristin Cashore, American fantasy author; Graceling
P. C. Cast (1960), American author; House of Night
Rosario Castellanos (1925–1974), Mexican poet and author
Ana Castillo (born 1953), Mexican-American novelist, poet, short story writer and essayist
Elisabeth Castonier (1894–1975), German-born children's writer and journalist writing in German and English
Rosalía de Castro (1837–1885), Galician writer and poet
Willa Cather (1873–1947), Pulitzer Prize-winning American author; My Ántonia, O Pioneers!
Catherine of Bologna (1413–1463), Italian religious writer and saint
Catherine of Genoa (St. Catherine, 1447–1510), Genoese writer and mystic
Catherine of Ricci (1522–1590), Italian religious writer and saint
Jane Cavendish (1620/21–1669), English poet and playwright
Margaret Cavendish (1623–1673), English poet, philosopher, essayist, playwright, and writer of fiction; The Blazing World
Susannah Centlivre (1667–1723), English playwright and poet
Laura Cereta (1469–1499), Italian humanist
Theresa Hak Kyung Cha (1951–1982), American novelist and artist; Dictee
Françoise Chandernagor (born 1945), French novelist and playwright
Elizabeth Margaret Chandler (1807–1834), American poet and writer; first woman writer in America to make the abolition of slavery her principal theme
Diana Chang (born 1934), Chinese American novelist and poet
Hester Chapone (1727–1801), English writer and Bluestocking
Charlotte Charke (1713–1760), English actress, playwright, novelist, and autobiographer
Isabelle de Charrière (1740–1805), Dutch novelist writing in French
Lidia Charskaya (1875–1938), popular Russian novelist
Noëlle Châtelet (born 1944), French essayist, novelist and story writer
Subhadra Kumari Chauhan (1904–1948), Indian poet famous for her emotionally charged Hindi songs
Daína Chaviano (born 1960), Cuban writer; The Island of Eternal Love
Mavis Cheek (born c. 1948), English novelist
Ying Chen (born 1961), Chinese Canadian author
Cheng Naishan (1946–2013) Shanghainese/Hong Kongese novelist and non-fiction writer of the pre-revolutionary era
Kelly Cherry (born 1940), American, novelist, poet, story writer, essayist, memoirist, book reviewer, translator
C. J. Cherryh (born 1942), American sci-fi and fantasy author; Downbelow Station, Cyteen
Helmina von Chézy (1783–1856), German poet, playwright and librettist
Lydia Maria Child (1802–1880), American poet, novelist and journalist; Over the River and through the Woods
Alice Childress (1916–1994), African-American playwright and novelist
Mei Chin (born 1977), American writer and food critic
Paulina Chiziane (born 1955), Mozambiquean novelist and short story writer
Joanna Chmielewska (born 1932), Polish writer
Pema Chödrön (born 1936), American Buddhist author
Choi Jeong-rye (born 1955), Korean poet
Mary Cholmondeley (1859–1925), English novelist
Kate Chopin (1851–1904), American novelist and short story writer; The Awakening
Helene Christaller (1872–1953), German children's novelist
Kate Christensen (1962), American novelist; In The Drink, Jeremy Thrane, The Great Man
Agatha Christie (1890–1976), British crime writer; The Mousetrap, And Then There Were None
Chrystos (born 1946), Menominee rights activist and poet
Lady Mary Chudleigh (1656–1710), English poet, essayist and writer; The Ladies' Defence
Lydia Chukovskaya (1907–1996), Soviet/Russian writer; Sofia Petrovna
Ismat Chughtai (1915–1991), Indian Urdu writer
Chun Woon-young (1971), Korean author
Caryl Churchill (born 1938), English playwright; A Mouthful of Birds
Sandra Cisneros (born 1954), American novelist and short story writer; The House on Mango Street, Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories
Hélène Cixous (born 1937), Algerian-born French poet, playwright and philosopher
Amy Clampitt (1920–1994), American poet and author
Cassandra Clare
Margaret Clark (1964), American historian, writer, and educator
Mary Higgins Clark (born 1927), American suspense novelist; A Stranger is Watching, A Cry in the Night
Amy Key Clarke (1892–1980), English mystical poet, author and teacher
Gillian Clarke (born 1937), Welsh poet, playwright, editor, broadcaster, lecturer and translator
Margareta Clausdotter (died 1486), Swedish writer and abbess
Beverly Cleary (born 1916), American author; The Mouse and the Motorcycle
Kate McPhelim Cleary (1863–1905), American novelist and story writer
Joceline Clemencia (1952–2011), Afro-Curaçaoan writer and linguist
Carmen Clemente Travieso (1900–1983), Venezuelan journalist and women's biographer
Cleobulina (fl. c. 550 BC), Greek poet
Michelle Cliff (born 1946), Jamaican-American author; No Telephone to Heaven
Lucille Clifton (1936–2010), American poet, writer and educator
Caroline Clive (1801–1872), English poet and novelist
Catherine Clive (Kitty, 1711–1785), English actress and dramatist
Wendy Coakley-Thompson (born 1966), American novelist; What You Won't Do for Love
Florence Earle Coates (1850–1927), American poet
Frances Power Cobbe (1822–1904), Irish writer and suffragist
Alice Rollit Coe (1858–1940), Canadian-American author
Gabrielle de Coignard (1550–1586), French poet
Frona Eunice Wait Colburn (1859–1946), American journalist, author of short stories and books
Norma Cole (born 1945), American poet, visual artist, and translator
Wanda Coleman (born 1946), American poet
Christabel Rose Coleridge (1843–1921), English novelist and editor
Mary Elizabeth Coleridge (1861–1907), English novelist and poet
Sara Coleridge (1802–1852), English writer and translator
Colette (1873–1954), French novelist; Gigi
Merle Collins (born 1950), Grenadian poet and short-story writer
Suzanne Collins (born 1962), American novelist; The Hunger Games
Vittoria Colonna (1490–1547), Italian poet and marchioness
Mary Colum (1884–1957), Irish literary critic and author
Anne Compton (born 1947), Canadian poet, critic, and anthologist
Ivy Compton-Burnett (1884–1969), English novelist; Pastors and Masters
Maryse Condé (born 1937), Guadeloupean novelist
Helen Gray Cone (1859–1934), poet and professor of English literature
Consort Ban (Ban Jieyu, Lady Pan, c. 48—c. 6 BC), Chinese scholar and poet
Eliza Cook (1818–1889), English poet
Marvel Cooke (1903–2000), American journalist and writer
Elizabeth Cook-Lynn (born 1930), Crow Creek Lakota Sioux editor, essayist, poet, novelist, and academic; Wíčazo Ša Review
Ina Coolbrith (born Josephine Anna Smith) (1841–1928), first poet laureate of California, first public librarian in California
Deborah Coonts, American romance, mystery and humor novelist and lawyer
J. California Cooper, African-American playwright, novelist and short story writer
Wendy Cope (born 1945), English poet
Esther Copley (1786–1851), English religious and children's writer
Marguerite Coppin (1867–1931), Poet Laureate of Belgium
Marie Corelli (1855–1924), English novelist
Corinna (Κόριννα, 6th century BC), Greek poet
Cornificia (c. 85–c. 40 BC), Roman poet and writer of epigrams
Caroline Cornwallis (1786–1858), English writer on education, philosophy and science
Jane Cornwallis (1581–1659), English letter writer
Patricia Cornwell (born 1956), American crime writer; Body of Evidence, Cruel and Unusual
Anita Cornwell (born 1923), American author
Jayne Cortez (born 1936), American poet and performance artist
Sophie Ristaud Cottin (1770–1807), French novelist
Hedwig Courths-Mahler (1867–1950), German novelist
Arlette Cousture (born 1948), Canadian writer
Dani Couture (born 1978), Canadian poet and novelist
Hannah Cowley (1743–1809), English playwright and poet
Dinah Mulock Craik (1826–1887), English novelist; John Halifax, Gentleman
Helen Craik (1751–1825), Scottish novelist
Margaret Craven (1901–1980), American novelist; I Heard the Owl Call My Name
Isabella Valancy Crawford (1850–1887), Canadian poet
Susan P. Crawford (born 1963), American professor of law
Hélisenne de Crenne (1510–1552), French novelist, epistolary writer and translator
Ann Batten Cristall (1769–1848), English poet
Bithia Mary Croker (1849–1920), Irish-born Anglo-Indian writer
M. T. C. Cronin (born 1963), Australian writer
Camilla Dufour Crosland (1812–1895), English writer and poet
Elsa Cross (born 1946), Mexican poet and essayist
Catherine Crowe (1800–1876), English dramatist, novelist, and author of children's books
Helen Cruickshank (1886–1975), Scottish poet writing in Braid Scots and English
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1651–1695), Mexican poet and playwright
Maria Susanna Cummins (1827–1866), American novelist; The Lamplighter
Lady Margaret Cunningham (died c. 1622), Scottish memoirist and correspondent
Dymphna Cusack (1902–1981), Australian author; Come In Spinner
Julie E. Czerneda (born 1955), Canadian sci-fi and fantasy author
Mary Crow Dog (born 1953), Native American writer and activist; Lakota Woman

Contents :

D

H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) (1886–1961), American poet, novelist and memoirist
Anne Dacier (1645–1720), French scholar and classical translator
Jordan Dane (born 1953), American thriller writer
Tsitsi Dangarembga (born 1959), Zimbabwean author and filmmaker; Nervous Conditions
Edwidge Danticat (born 1969), Haitian-American novelist; Breath, Eyes, Memory
Catherine d'Amboise (1475–1550), French writer and poet
Tullia d'Aragona (c. 1510–1556), Italian writer, philosopher and courtesan
Tina Darragh (born 1950), American language poet
Cecilia Dart-Thornton, Australian fantasy novelist and short story writer; Bitterbynde trilogy
Clare_B._Dunkle (born 1964), American children's fantasy author and librarian
Amma Darko (born 1956), Ghanaian novelist
Marie Darrieussecq (born 1969), French-Basque novelist
Helen Darville (Helen Dale, Helen Demidenko) (born 1972), Australian journalist and novelist
Kamala Das (born 1932), poet and short story writer
Madame d'Aulnoy (c. 1650s–1705), French writer of fairy tales
Marcia Davenport (1903–1996), American novelist, biographer and memoirist; The Valley of Decision, My Brother's Keeper
Selina Davenport (1779–1859), English novelist who wrote about and for women
Henriette Davidis (1801–1876), German cookbook writer
Joy Davidman (born Helen Joy Davidman) (1915–1960), writer and poet
Angela Davis (born 1944), American philosopher and political activist
Dorothy Salisbury Davis (born 1916), American mystery novelist
Kyra Davis (born 1972), American novelist
Rebecca Harding Davis (1831–1910), American journalist and novelist; Life in the Iron Mills
Mary Davys (1674–1732), Irish novelist and playwright
Elizabeth Dawbarn (died 1839), English writer on religion and child care
Laura Day (born 1959), American writer of self-help books
Maria Dąbrowska (1889–1965), Polish writer
Shobhaa De (born 1947), Indian journalist and novelist; Starry Nights
Aurora de Albornoz (1926–1990), Spanish poet
Claude de Bectoz (fl. mid-16th century), French writer and philosopher
Teresa de Cartagena (born c. 1425), Spanish religious writer
Claude Catherine de Clermont (1543–1603), French scholar and courtier
Hélisenne de Crenne (real name Marguerite Briet, c. 1510–post 1552), French novelist, letter writer and translator
Ana de Jesús (1545–1621), Spanish writer, poet and nun
Mazo de la Roche (1885–1961), Canadian novelist in English; Jalna series
Christine de Pizan (1363–c. 1430), Venetian poet writing in French
Florencia del Pinar (15th century), Spanish poet
Pamela Dean (born 1953), American novelist; Tam Lin
Kathryn Deans, Australian children's fantasy author
Françoise d'Eaubonne (1920–2005), French feminist essayist and science fiction novelist; ecofeminism
Ellen DeGeneres (born 1958), American writer, comedian, television host, and actress
E. M. Delafield (1890–1943), English novelist and memoirist
Lucy Delaney (c. 1830–c. 1890), American memoirist
Mary Delany (1700–1788), English letter-writer and Bluestocking
Lucie Delarue-Mardrus (1874–1945), French poet, novelist and journalist
Yanette Delétang-Tardif (1902–1976), French poet, translator, literary reviewer and novelist
Ella Cara Deloria (1888–1971), American ethnographer, Sioux oral historian and novelist
Nicole Dennis-Benn, Jamaican novelist and story writer
Enid Derham (1882–1941), Australian poet
Regina Derieva (born 1949), Russian poet and writer
Anita Desai (born 1937), Indian novelist; In Custody
Kiran Desai (born 1971), Indian novelist; The Inheritance of Loss
Marceline Desbordes-Valmore (1786–1859), French poet
Anne Desclos (writing as Dominique Aury and Pauline Réage) (1907–1998), French journalist and novelist
Antoinette du Ligier de la Garde Deshoulières (1638–1694), French poet
Virginie Despentes (born 1969), French novelist
Babette Deutsch (1895–1982), American poet, critic, translator, and novelist
Mary Deverell (1731–1805), English religious writer and poet
Ashapoorna Devi (1909–1995), Bengali novelist and poet
Mahasweta Devi (born 1926), Bengali-Indian journalist and novelist
Caroline Dexter (1819–1884), English-Australian feminist journalist
Dhuoda (c. 803–c. 843), Frankish moralist writing in Latin; Liber Manualis
Kate DiCamillo (born 1964), American children's author
Emily Dickinson (1830–1886), American poet
Joan Didion (born 1934), American journalist, essayist and novelist
Alice Mangold Diehl (1844–1912), English novelist and musician
Annie Dillard (born 1945), American nonfiction writer, poet, essayist and novelist; Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
Blaga Dimitrova (1922–2003), Bulgarian poet and former Vice President of Bulgaria
Isak Dinesen (1885–1962), Danish novelist; Out of Africa
Diane di Prima (born 1934), American poet
Kelly DiPucchio (born 1967), children's author
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (born 1956), Indian-American poet, novelist and short story writer; Mistress of Spices
Lady Florence Dixie (1855–1905), Scottish feminist travel writer, war correspondent and novelist
Assia Djebar (born 1936), Algerian novelist, translator and filmmaker
Valentina Dmitryeva (1859–1947), Russian/Soviet writer; Hveska, the Doctor's Watchman
Rosemary Dobson (born 1920), Australian poet
Mary Mapes Dodge (1831–1905), American children's writer; Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates
Berlie Doherty (born 1943), English novelist, poet, playwright, screenwriter and children's writer
Hilde Domin (1909–2006), German poet
Emma Donoghue (born 1969), Irish-Canadian novelist; Hood
Doris Dörrie (born 1955), German novelist and film director
Lyubov Dostoyevskaya (1869–1926), Russian writer;The Emigrant
Sarah Doudney (1841–1926), English children's writer and poet
O. Douglas, pen name of Anna Buchan (1877–1948), Scottish novelist
Maro Douka (born 1947), Greek novelist
Sara Douglass (Sara Warneke) (born 1957), Australian fantasy novelist; the Axis trilogy
Mabel Dove Danquah (1910–1984), Ghanaian short-story writer and journalist
Rita Dove (born 1952), American poet; Thomas and Beulah
Unity Dow (born 1959), Botswanan human rights activist and novelist
Margaret Drabble (born 1939), English novelist and biographer; The Millstone
Judith Drake (late 17th century), English feminist essayist
Ingeborg Drewitz (1923–1986), German playwright and novelist
Celia Dropkin (1887–1956), Berorussian-American Yiddish-language poet
Annette von Droste-Hülshoff (1797–1848), German poet
Ree Drummond
Carol Ann Duffy (born 1955), Scottish poet and playwright; first female and first Scottish Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom
Daphne du Maurier (1907–1989), English novelist; Rebecca
Marilyn Dumont (born 1955), First Nations Canadian poet
Sarah Dunant (born 1950), English genre novelist; The Birth of Venus
Alice Dunbar Nelson (1875–1935), American poet, journalist and political activist
Lois Duncan (born 1934), American young adult thriller writer; I Know What You Did Last Summer
Elaine Dundy (1931–2008), American journalist, novelist and biographer
Clare_B._Dunkle (born 1964), American children's fantasy author and librarian
Dương Thu Hương (born 1947), Vietnamese dissident and novelist; Paradise of the Blind
Rachel Blau DuPlessis (born 1941), American poet and essayist, known as a feminist critic and scholar
Mary Durack (1913–1994), Australian historical novelist and children's writer
Claire de Duras (1777–1828), French novelist; Ourika
Marguerite Duras (Marguerite Donnadieu) (1914–1996), French novelist, playwright and screenwriter; L'Amant, Hiroshima mon amour
Karen Duve (born 1961), German novelist and story writer
Guerguina Dvoretzka, Bulgarian poet and journalist

Contents :

E

Edith Maude Eaton, aka Sui Sin Far (1865–1914), Chinese-English-Canadian novelist
Winnifred Eaton, aka Watanna Onoto (1875–1954), Chinese-English-Canadian-American novelist and short story writer
Margareta Ebner, (1291–1351), German diarist and mystic
Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach (1830–1916), Austrian novelist
Leigh Eddings (1939–2007), American fantasy novelist
Emily Eden (1797–1869), English novelist and poet
Zee Edgell (born 1940), Belizean novelist; Beka Lamb
Maria Edgeworth (1767–1849), English-born Irish novelist; Castle Rackrent
Egeria (Aetheria) (fl. AD 381–4), Gallic pilgrim and correspondent writing in Latin
Barbara Ehrenreich (born 1941), American feminist, socialist and political activist
Marianne Ehrenström (1773–1867), Swedish writer
Roza Eldarova (born 1923), Soviet writer and politician writing in Russian
Elephantis (fl. late 1st century BC), Greek erotic poet
George Eliot (born Marian Evans, 1819–1880), English novelist and poet; The Mill on the Floss, Silas Marner, Middlemarch
Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine (in German: Liselotte von der Pfalz, 1652–1722), German correspondent
Elizabeth F. Ellet (1818–1877), American writer, historian and poet
Elizabeth Elstob (1683–1756), English feminist scholar and translator
Diamela Eltit (born 1949), Chilean novelist
Lynn Emanuel (born 1949), American poet
Buchi Emecheta (born 1944), Nigerian novelist; The Bride Price
Claudia Emerson (born 1957), American poet; won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
Carol Emshwiller (born 1921), American novelist and short story writer
Dorothe Engelbretsdotter (1634–1716), Norway's first recognized female author
Isobel English (1920–1994), English novelist; Every Eye
Enchi Fumiko (Fumi Ueda, 1905–1986), Japanese playwright, novelist and short story writer
Marian Engel (1933–1985), Canadian novelist
Enheduanna (2285–2250 BCE), Sumerian royal priestess and poet
Nora Ephron (1941–2012), American film director, producer, screenwriter and novelist
Louise Erdrich (born 1954), American novelist, poet and children's writer
Erinna (Ἤριννα, fl. c. 600 BC), Greek poet
Anastasia Eristavi-Khoshtaria (1868–1951), Georgian novelist
Annie Ernaux (born 1940), French novelist and autobiographer
Florbela Espanca (1894–1930), Portuguese poet
Nataly von Eschstruth (1860–1939), German novelist
Laura Esquivel (born 1950), Mexican novelist; Like Water for Chocolate
Clarissa Pinkola Estés (born 1945), American poet
Eleanor Estes (1906–1988), American children's writer; The Moffats, Ginger Pye
Parvin E'tesami (1907–1941), Persian poet of Iran
Janet Evanovich (born 1943), American novelist; Stephanie Plum series
Augusta Jane Evans (1835–1909), American novelist
Mari Evans (born 1923), American poet, playwright and children's writer
Matilda Jane Evans (Maud Jean Franc, 1827–1886), Australian novelist
Juliana Horatia Ewing (1841–1885), English children's writer

Contents :

F

Diane Fahey (born 1945), Australian poet
Diane Fanning, American true crime author and novelist
Ursula Fanthorpe (born 1929), English poet
Nancy Farmer (born 1941), American young adult and children's novelist; The Ear, the Eye and the Arm
Penelope Farmer (born 1939), English children's novelist; Charlotte Sometimes
Forough Farrokhzad (1935–1967), Iranian poet and film director
Margaretta Faugères (1771–1801), American poet
Jesse Redmon Fauset (1882–1961), American poet, essayist and novelist; Plum Bun
Else Feldmann (1884–1942), Austrian playwright, poet and novelist
Edna Ferber (1885–1968), American novelist and playwright; Show Boat
Charlene "Charlie" Fern (born 1968), American speechwriter to Laura Bush
Fanny Fern (1811–1872), American columnist, humorist, novelist, and children's writer; Ruth Hall
Roberta Fernández, American novelist, scholar, critic and arts advocate
Renée Ferrer de Arréllaga (born 1944), Paraguayan poet and novelist
Susan Edmonstoune Ferrier (1782–1854), Scottish novelist
Rachel Field (1894–1942), American novelist, poet, and children's writer; Hitty, Her First Hundred Years
Helen Fielding (born 1958), English novelist; Bridget Jones's Diary
Sarah Fielding (1710–1768), English novelist
Jennie Fields (1953–), American novelist
Celia Fiennes (1662–1741), English travel writer
Sia Figiel (born 1967), Samoan poet and novelist
Adelaide Filleul (1761–1836), French novelist
Anne Finch (Countess of Winchilsea, 1661–1720), English poet
Annie Finch (born 1956), American poet, translator and critic
Anne Fine
M. F. K. Fisher (1908–1992), American food writer
Penelope Fitzgerald (1916–2000), English novelist, poet, essayist and biographer
Louise Fitzhugh (1928–1974), American author and illustrator of children's books; Harriet the Spy
Becca Fitzpatrick
Fannie Flagg (born 1944), American screenwriter and novelist; Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
Marieluise Fleißer (1901–1974), German playwright
Marjorie (Marjory) Fleming (1803–1811), Scottish child diarist and poet
Zénaïde Fleuriot (1829–1890), French novelist
Lynn Flewelling (born 1958), American novelist; Nightrunner
Winifred Foley (1914–2009), English autobiographer
Mary Hallock Foote (1847–1938), American novelist
Jolán Földes (1902–1963), Hungarian novelist
Esther Forbes (1891–1967), American novelist and children's writer; Johnny Tremain
Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force (1654–1724), French novelist and poet
Olga Forsh (1873–1961), Russian/Soviet writer; Palace and Prison
Margaret Forster (born 1938), English novelist and biographer
Hannah Webster Foster (1758–1840), American novelist; The Coquette
Karen Joy Fowler (born 1950), American novelist and short story writer
Janet Frame (1924–2004), New Zealand novelist and autobiographer
Marie de France (fl. 12th century), poet in Anglo-Norman French
Annie Francé-Harrar (1886–1971), Austrian writer and scientist
Suzanne Francis (born 1959), English fantasy author
Julia Franck (born 1970), German novelist
Veronica Franco (1546–1591), Italian poet and courtesan
Louise von François (1817–1893), German novelist
Anne Frank (Anna, 1929–1945), German-born Dutch diarist; The Diary of a Young Girl
Miles Franklin (1879–1954), Australian feminist writer; My Brilliant Career
Antonia Fraser (born 1932), English genre novelist and biographer; Mary, Queen of Scots, Quiet as a Nun
Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman (1852–1930), American novelist and short story writer
Raquel Freire (born 1973), Portuguese film director, screenwriter and novelist
Elizabeth Wynne Fremantle (1778–1857), English diarist
Anna Freud (1895–1982), Austrian and British psychoanalytic writer
Gayleen Froese (born 1972), Canadian mystery novelist and songwriter
Eva Margareta Frölich (1650–1692), Swedish writer
Claire Fuller (living), English novelist
Margaret Fuller (1810–1850), American feminist journalist
Mary Eliza Fullerton (1868–1946), Australian feminist poet, short story writer, journalist and novelist
Alice Fulton (born 1952), American author, poet
Cornelia Funke (born 1958), German children's writer; The Thief Lord, Inkheart trilogy
Bilkisu Funtuwa, Nigerian novelist

Contents :

G

Ekaterine Gabashvili (1851–1938), Georgian feminist novelist
Frances Dana Barker Gage (1808–1884), American writer, poet, reformer, feminist and abolitionist
Jeannine Hall Gailey (born 1973), American poet and critic
Mary Gaitskill (born 1954), American essayist, novelist and short story writer
Kate Gale (born 1965), American poet, librettist and independent publisher
Zona Gale (1874–1938), American novelist and playwright
Mavis Gallant (born 1922), Canadian-French short story-writer
Tess Gallagher (born 1943), American poet, essayist, novelist, and playwright
Karina Galvez (born 1964), Ecuadorian poet
Alisa Ganieva (pseudonym Gulla Khirachev) (born 1985), Russian writer and essayist
Jane Gardam (born 1928), British author of children's and adult fiction
Helen Garner (born 1942), Australian novelist and journalist; The Children's Bach
Constance Garnett (1861–1946), English translator from Russian
Elizabeth Gaskell (1810–1865), English novelist and biographer; Cranford
Whitney Gaskell (born 1972), American novelist
Nathalie Gassel (born 1964), Belgian feminist writer
Pauline Gedge (born 1945), Canadian genre novelist
Stéphanie Félicité, comtesse de Genlis (Madame de Genlis; 1746–1830), French novelist, playwright and children's writer
Elizabeth George (born 1949), American mystery novelist; The Inspector Lynley Mysteries
Margaret George (born 1943), American historical novelist
Amy Gerstler (born 1956), American poet
Gertrud von Helfta (1256–c. 1302), saint and mystic writing in Latin
Amélie Gex (1835–1883), French poet and writer in French and Franco-Provençal
Kaye Gibbons (born 1960), American novelist; Ellen Foster
Stella Gibbons (1902–1989), English novelist, journalist and short story writer; Cold Comfort Farm
Ellen Gilchrist (born 1935), American novelist, short story writer, and poet
ElizaBeth Gilligan, American fantasy novelist
Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860–1935), American sociologist, author, poet and lecturer for social reform; Herland
Mary Gilmore (1865–1962), Australian socialist poet and journalist
Beryl Gilroy (1924–2001), Guyanese novelist
Nikki Giovanni (born 1943), African American poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator
Diane Glancy (born 1941), American poet, novelist and playwright
Ellen Glasgow (1873–1945), American novelist
Susan Glaspell (1876–1948), American novelist and playwright
Madeline Gleason (1903–1979), American poet and dramatist
Louise Glück (born 1943), American poet; 42nd US Poet Laureate
Marita Golden (born 1950), African-American novelist and non-fiction writer
Emma Goldman (1869–1940), Lithuanian-American anarchist writer
Claire Goll (1890–1977), German-born poet and novelist writing in German and French
Jewelle Gomez (born 1948), American poet, critic and playwright
Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda (1814–1873), Cuban novelist, playwright and poet; Sab
Lorna Goodison (born 1947), Jamaican poet
Allegra Goodman (born 1967), American novelist
Nadine Gordimer (born 1923), South African writer, political activist and Nobel Prize in literature laureate
Catherine Gore (1799–1861), British novelist and dramatist
Hedwig Gorski (born 1949), American performance poet and avant-garde artist
Hiromi Goto (born 1966), Canadian novelist
Olympe de Gouges (1748–1793), French journalist during the Revolution
Posie Graeme-Evans (born 1952), English-Australian historical novelist and screenwriter
Agnieszka Graff (born 1970), Polish feminist academic writer and essayist
Françoise de Graffigny (1695–1758), French novelist and playwright
Sue Grafton (born 1940), American mystery novelist; Kinsey Millhone series ("A" Is for Alibi, etc.)
Jorie Graham (born 1950), American poet
Anna Katharine Green (1846–1935), American mystery novelist; Marked "Personal"
Miriam Green, South African academic now living in England
Debora Greger (born 1949), American poet and visual artist
Bette Greene (born 1934), American author of children and young adult's books
Linda Gregg (born 1942), American poet
Simonetta Greggio (born 1961), Italian-born novelist writing in French
Lady Gregory (1852–1932), Irish folklore revivalist and playwright
Catharina Regina von Greiffenberg (1633–1694), Austrian poet
Elizabeth Griffith (c. 1727–1793), Irish dramatist, fiction writer, essayist, and actress
Martha Grimes (born 1931), American mystery novelist; Richard Jury series
Charlotte Forten Grimké (1837–1914), American anti-slavery activist and poet
Angelina Weld Grimke (1880–1958), American journalist and poet
Eliza Griswold (born 1973), American journalist and poet
Claudine Guérin de Tencin (1682–1749), French literary patron and novelist
Guðrún Helgadóttir (born 1935), Icelandic children's writer
Judith Guest (born 1936), American novelist and screenwriter; Ordinary People
Pernette Du Guillet (c. 1520–1545), French poet
Guji, Princess of Joseon (died 1489), Korean writer, poet and dancer
Karoline von Günderrode (1780–1806), German poet
Eileen Gunn (born 1945), American short story writer and editor
Elizabeth Gunn, American mystery novelist
Susannah Gunning (c. 1740–1800), English novelist
Elena Guro (1877–1913), Russian Futurist writer; The Little Camels of the Sky
Rosa Guy (1922–2012), Trinidad-born American writer of fiction for adults and young people
Emma Jane Guyton (1825–1887), English novelist and editor
Beth Gylys (born 1964), American poet and professor

Contents :

H

Ha Seong-ran (1967), Korean author
Maria Hack (1777–1844), English children's writer
Marilyn Hacker (born 1942), American poet, translator and critic
Jessica Hagedorn (born 1949), Filipino American poet, playwright and novelist
Ida, Countess of Hahn-Hahn (1805–1880), German novelist
Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey (born 1938), American novelist and playwright
Gisèle Halimi (born 1927), French-Tunisian feminist essayist
Anna Maria (Mrs S. C.) Hall (1800–1881), Irish novelist
Radclyffe Hall (1880–1943), English novelist
Anne, Lady Halkett (1623–1699), English memoirist and religious essayist
Marion Rose Halpenny, English equestrian writer and author of the pioneering book British Racing and Racecourses
Jane Eaton Hamilton (born 1954), Canadian short fiction writer and poet
Virginia Hamilton (1936–2002), American children's novelist; M. C. Higgins, the Great
Beatrice Hammer (born 1963), French novelist and children's writer
Han Mahlsook (born 1931), Korean novelist
Judith Hand (born 1940), American novelist, essayist, and screenwriter
Nathalie Handal, Haitian-born American poet and playwright of Palestinian descent
Sophie Hannah (born 1971), English poet and novelist; Little Face
Lorraine Hansberry (1930–1965), American playwright; A Raisin in the Sun
Bergtóra Hanusardóttir (born 1946), Faroese novelist and short story writer
Hao Jingfang, Chinese novelist
Thea von Harbou (1888–1954), German novelist and screenwriter
Maud Cuney Hare (1874–1936), American pianist, musicologist, writer
Joy Harjo (born 1951), American poet
Frances Harper (1825–1911), American poet and novelist; Iola Leroy
Yun-I Hyeong (1976), Korean author
Alice Harriman (1861–1925), American poet, and publisher; A Man of Two Countries, Wilt Thou Not Sing
Carla Harryman (born 1952), American poet, essayist, and playwright; associated with the language poets
Petra Hartmann (born 1970), German journalist, novelist and children's writer
Gwen Harwood (1920–1995), Australian poet and librettist
Mihri Hatun (died 1506), female Ottoman poet
Marlen Haushofer (1920–1970), Austrian novelist and children's author
Paula Hawkins
Eliza Haywood (1693–1756), English novelist, playwright, essayist, poet, and translator
Shirley Hazzard (born 1931), American novelist, non-fiction and short-story writer
Bessie Head (1937–1986), Botswanan novelist, journalist and short story writer
Anne Hébert (1916–2000), Canadian poet and novelist; Kamouraska
Jennifer Michael Hecht (born 1965), American poet, historian, philosopher and author
Allison Hedge Coke (born 1958), American poet and writer
Hee Geum (born 1979), Korean author
Ursula Hegi (born 1946), German American novelist
Lyn Hejinian (born 1941), American poet, essayist, translator and publisher
Heo Su-gyeong (born 1964), Korean poet
Héloïse d’Argenteuil (c. 1101–1164), French scholar and abbess writing in Latin
Lillian Hellman (1905–1984), American playwright
Felicia Hemans (1793–1835), English-born Welsh poet writing in English
Beth Henley (born 1952), American playwright and screenwriter
Emmy Hennings (1885–1948), German poet and performer
Marguerite Henry (April 13, 1902–November 26, 1997), American writer of children's books, especially stories about horses
Luise Hensel (1798–1876), German religious writer and poet
Heo Nanseolheon (1563–1589), Korean female poet of the mid-Joseon dynasty
Mary Sidney Herbert (1561–1621), English poet, translator, and patron
Judith Hermann (born 1970), German story writer
M. Miriam Herrera, American author and poet
Karen Hesse (born 1952), American children's novelist; Out of the Dust
Dorothy Hewett (1923–2002), Australian feminist poet, novelist, librettist and playwright
Eleanor Hibbert (1906–1993), English historical novelist (countless pseudonyms); Murder Most Royal
Patricia Highsmith (1921–1995), American crime novelist and short story writer; Strangers on a Train
Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179), German mystic, playwright and poet writing in Latin; Scivias
Lorna Hill (1902–1991), English children's novelist
Hilda Hilst (1930–2004), Brazilian poet, playwright and novelist
S. E. Hinton (born 1948), American children's novelist; The Outsiders
Hồ Xuân Hương (1772–1822), Vietnamese poet born at the end of the Lê Dynasty
Laura Z. Hobson (1900–1986), American novelist
Karla Höcker (1901–1992), German novelist and biographer
Nina Kiriki Hoffman (born 1955), American novelist and short story writer
Barbara Hofland (1770–1844), English children's writer and poet
Merle Hodge (born 1944), Trinidadian novelist and critic
Linda Hogan (born 1947), American poet, novelist and short story writer
Constance Holme (1880–1955), English novelist and playwright
Winifred Holtby (1898–1935), English novelist and journalist
Bell Hooks (born 1952), American feminist academic
Ellen Sturgis Hooper (1812–1848), American poet, member of the Transcendental Club
Pauline Hopkins (1859–1930), American novelist, journalist and playwright
Nalo Hopkinson (born 1960), Jamaican-Canadian novelist and short story writer
Marya Hornbacher (born 1974), American author and freelance journalist
Janette Turner Hospital (born 1942), Australian novelist and short story writer
Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, American author; Farewell to Manzanar
Julia Ward Howe (1819–1910), American abolitionist, social activist, and poet, most famous as the author of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic"
Fanny Howe (born 1940), American poet, novelist, and short story writer
Susan Howe (born 1937), American poet, scholar, essayist and critic; closely associated with the language poets
Ada Verdun Howell (1902–1981), Australian American poet
Anna Mary Howitt (1824–1884), English writer and feminist
Mary Howitt (1799–1888), English poet and children's writer; "The Spider and the Fly"
Hrotsvith von Gandersheim (c. 935–c. 1002), German dramatist and poet writing in Latin
Huang E (aka Huang Xiumei) (1498–1569), Chinese poet of the Ming dynasty
Huarui Furen (fl. mid-10th century), Chinese poet
Ricarda Huch (1864–1947), German historian, novelist and poet
Frieda Hughes (born 1960), English poet and painter
Marsha Hunt (born 1946), American actress and novelist
Kristin Hunter (1931–2008), African-American novelist
Constance Hunting (1925–2006), American poet and publisher
Fannie Hurst (1885–1968), American novelist
Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960), American novelist
Nancy Huston (born 1953), Canadian novelist and essayist writing in French and English
Lucy Hutchinson (1620–1681), English biographer
Elspeth Huxley (1907–1997), English-Kenyan memoirist and journalist
Hwang Jung-eun (1867), author and podcaster
Hypatia (c. AD 350/70–415), Greek philosopher and mathematician
Yun-I Hyeong (1976), Korean author

Contents :

I

Eva Ibbotson (1925–2010), Austrian-born British novelist
Nilima Ibrahim (1921–2002), Bangladeshi writer
Elizabeth Inchbald (1753–1821), English novelist, actress, and dramatist; Lovers' Vows, A Simple Story
Rachel Ingalls (born 1940), American novelist; Mrs. Caliban
Jean Ingelow (1820–1897), English poet
Ingibjörg Haraldsdóttir (born 1942), Icelandic poet
Sylvia Iparraguirre (born 1947), Argentine novelist
Lady Ise (c. 875–c. 938), Japanese poet
Ise no Taiu or Taifu (early 11th century), Japanese poet
Elizabeth Isichei (born 1939), Nigerian author, historian and academic
Helen Ivory (born 1969), English poet
Molly Ivins (born 1944), American columnist
Princess Iwa (4th or 5th century), Japanese poet
Izumi Shikibu (born c. 976), Japanese poet
Ina Coolbrith (born 1841), poet, writer, and librarian

Contents :

J

Noni Jabavu (1931–2008), South African memoirist and journalist
Helen Hunt Jackson (1830–1885), American novelist; Ramona
Shelley Jackson (born 1963), Filipino American novelist, short story writer and essayist; Patchwork Girl
Shirley Jackson (1916–1965), American novelist and short story writer; "The Lottery"
Harriet Jacobs (1813–1897), American memoir writer; Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Annie Jacobsen
Josephine Jacobsen (1908–2003), American poet, short story writer, and critic; 21st US Poet Laureate
Frances Jacson (1754–1842), English novelist
Ada Jafarey (born 1924), Pakistani Urdu poet
Rona Jaffe (1932–2005), American novelist; The Best of Everything
Svava Jakobsdóttir (1930–2004), Icelandic playwright and short story writer
Alice James (1848–1892), American diarist
P. D. James (born 1920), English mystery novelist; Cover Her Face
Anna Brownell Jameson (1794–1860), Irish-born English writer on art and literature
Jang Eun-jin (born 1976), Korean author
Elizabeth Janeway (1913–2005), American novelist
Éva Janikovszky (1926–2003), Hungarian author of children's books
Tama Janowitz (born 1957), American novelist, short story writer and screenwriter; Slaves of New York
Lisa Jarnot (born 1967), American poet
Jefimija (1349–1405), Serbian poet
Elfriede Jelinek (born 1946), Austrian playwright, novelist and Nobel Prize winner
Gish Jen (born 1956), American writer
Elizabeth Jennings (1926–2001), English poet
Jeon Gyeong-rin (born 1962), Korean novelist
Jung Ihyun (born 1972), Korean author
Sarah Orne Jewett (1849–1909), American novelist and short story writer
Geraldine Jewsbury (1812–1880), English novelist
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (born 1927), German-English-Indian-American novelist and screenwriter; Heat and Dust, A Room with a View, Howards End
Jindeok of Silla (fl. 647–654), Korean poet and queen
Empress Jitō (645–702), Japanese poet and empress
Rita Joe (born 1932), Canadian poet
Oddvør Johansen (born 1941), Faroese novelist
Georgia Douglas Johnson (1877–1966), American poet
Helene Johnson (1906–1995), American poet
Pauline Johnson (1861–1913), Canadian poet
Susannah Willard Johnson (1729–1810), American memoirist
Mary Johnston (1870–1936), American novelist
Diana Wynne Jones (born 1934), British novelist, primarily of fantasy
Gayl Jones, (born 1949), American novelist
Sandy Jones (born 1943), American parenting writer
Erica Jong (born 1942), American novelist; Fear of Flying
Ingrid Jonker (1933–1965), South African poet
Kishi Joō (929–985), Japanese poet
June Jordan (1936–2002), American poet, essayist, journalist, novelist, librettist and autobiography writer
Irena Jordanova (born 1980), Macedonian author
Jenny Joseph (born 1932), English poet
Heidi Julavits (born 1968), American journalist and novelist
Julian of Norwich (1342–1416), English mystic
Miranda July (born 1974), American writer and performance artist
Jung Mi-kyung (born 1960), Korean novelist

Contents :

K

Kodagina Gowramma (1912–1939), Indian writer
Sheema Kalbasi (born 1972), Iranian poet, producer, critic, blogger and human rights advocate
Julie Kane (born 1952), American poet, scholar and editor; Louisiana Poet Laureate 2011–2013
Sarah Kane (1971–1999), English playwright of in-yer-face theater^[1]
Kang Sok-Kyong (born, 1961), Korean author
Kang Young-sook (born, 1966), Korean author
Anna Louisa Karsch (1722–1791), German poet and letter writer
Lady Kasa (early 8th century), Japanese poet
Marie Luise Kaschnitz (1901–1974), German novelist and poet
Kassia (810–pre-865), Byzantine poet and composer writing in Greek
Gina Kaus (1893–1985), Austrian novelist and screenwriter
Julia Kavanagh (1824–1877), Irish novelist
Jackie Kay (born 1961), Scottish poet and novelist; Trumpet
Kim Byeol-ah (born 1969), Korean author
Annie Keary (1825–1879), English novelist and poet
Antigone Kefala (born 1935), Australian poet and prose-writer of Greek-Romanian heritage
Helen Keller (1880–1968), American lecturer, essayist, and autobiography writer; Light in my Darkness
Gene Kemp (born 1926), English children's writer
Margery Kempe (c. 1373–1438), English autobiographer and mystic
Margaret Kennedy (1896–1967), English novelist; The Constant Nymph
Judith Kerr (born 1923), German-born English children's writer in English
Jessie Kesson (1916-1994), Scottish writer
Irmgard Keun (1905–1982), German novelist
Vénus Khoury-Ghata (born 1937), Lebanese-French writer; former Miss Beirut
Nadezhda Khvoshchinskaya (1824–1889), Russian novelist; The Boarding School Girl
Sue Monk Kidd (born 1948), American writer; The Secret Life of Bees
Emelihter Kihleng, first Micronesian poet to publish a collection in English
Anne Killigrew (1660–1685), English poet
Dorothy Kilner (1755–1836), English children's writer
Ronyoung Kim (1926–1987), Korean American writer
Kim Jae-Young (born 1966)
Kim Mi-wol (born 1977)
Kim Seon-wu (born 1970), Korean poet
Jamaica Kincaid (born 1949), Antiguan American novelist; Annie John
Grace King (1852–1932), American short story writer and historian
Tabitha King (born 1949), American novelist
Mary Kingsley (1862–1900), English explorer and scientific writer
Barbara Kingsolver (born 1955), American novelist, poet, short story writer and essayist
Sarah Kirsch (born 1935), German poet and translator
Marjun Syderbø Kjelnæs (born 1974), Faroese children's writer, poet and short story writer
Anne Knight (1792–1860), English children's writer
Maxine Hong Kingston (born 1940), Chinese American novelist and academic
Karin Kiwus (born 1942), German poet
Carolyn Kizer (born 1925), American poet
Annette Kolb (1870–1967), German writer
Alexandra Kollontai (1872–1952), Russian/Soviet writer and important political figure; A Great Love
Gertrud Kolmar (1894–1943), German poet
Anna Komnene (1083–1183), Byzantine chronicler and emperor's daughter writing in Greek; Alexiad
Amalia Wilhelmina Königsmarck (1663–1740), Swedish noble, known as a dilettante artist (painter), amateur actor, and poet
Maria Konopnicka (1842–1910), Polish novelist, poet, translator and essayist
Lina Kostenko (born 1930), Ukrainian poet
Elizabeth Kostova (born 1964), American novelist; The Historian
Helene Kottannerin (fl. 1430s), Hungarian memoirist writing in German
Sofia Kovalevskaya (1859–1891), Russian writer and major mathematician; Nihilist Girl
Hanna Krall (born 1937), Polish writer, novelist, journalist
Julia Kristeva (born 1941), Bulgarian-French critic, philosopher and novelist
Uma Krishnaswami (born 1956), children's writer
Kristín Marja Baldursdóttir (born 1949), Icelandic novelist
Gerður Kristný (born 1970), Icelandic poet and novelist
Agota Kristof (born 1935), Hungarian novelist writing in French
Dragana Kršenković Brković, Montenegrin writer, nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award six times
Maxine Kumin (born 1925), American poet and children's novelist
Joanne Kyger (born 1934), American poet; tied to the poets of Black Mountain, the San Francisco Renaissance, and the Beat generation
Jean Kwok, Chinese American novelist

Contents :

L

Mercedes Lackey (born 1950), American fantasy novelist
Madame de La Fayette (1634–1693), French novelist; La Princesse de Clèves
Selma Lagerlöf (1858–1940), Swedish novelist and children's novelist, and 1909 Nobel Prize in Literature winner
Sinikka Laine (born 1945), Finnish writer of young adult literature
Jhumpa Lahiri (born 1967), Bengali American short story writer and novelist; won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for the collection of short stories Interpreter of Maladies; also wrote The Namesake
Laila Lalami (born 1968), Moroccan American journalist, essayist and novelist; Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits
Lalleshwari (aka Lalla, Lal Ded or Lal Arifa) (1320–1392), mystic and poet; creator of the mystic poetry called vatsun, the earliest compositions in the Kashmiri language
Lady Caroline Lamb (1785–1828), English novelist
Mary Lamb (1764–1847), co-author with her brother Charles Lamb
Alice Elinor Lambert (1886–1981), American romance novelist
Anne Lamott (born 1954), political activist, progressive and author of several novels and works of non-fiction
Leena Lander (born 1955), Finnish novelist
Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L.) (1802–1838), English poet and novelist
Margaret Landon (1903–1993), American novelist; Anna and the King of Siam
Liliane Landor (born c.1956), Lebanese born journalist and broadcasting executive
Jane Lane (1905–1978), British historical novelist and biographer
Katja Lange-Müller (born 1951), German novelist
Elisabeth Langgässer (1899–1950), German poet and novelist
Eve Langley (1908–1974), Australian novelist
Aemilia Lanyer (1569–1645), English poet
Alda Lara (1930–1962), Angolan poet
Lucy Larcom (1824–1893), millgirl, frequent contributor to the Lowell Offering, published four books of poetry in her lifetime
Rebecca Hammond Lard (1772–1855), American poet; first poet of Indiana
Claudia Lars (1899–1974), Salvadoran poet
Nella Larsen (1891–1964), American novelist and short story writer
Sophie von La Roche (1730–1807), German novelist
Else Lasker-Schüler (1869–1945), German poet and playwright
Yulia Latynina (born 1966), Russian writer; The Insider
Evelyn Lau (born 1971), Canadian poet and novelist
Margaret Laurence (1926–1987), Canadian novelist and short story writer; The Stone Angel
Dorianne Laux, (born 1952), American poet
Christine Lavant (1915–1973), Austrian poet and novelist
Mary Lavin (1912–1996), Irish novelist and short story writer
Emily Lawless (1845–1913), Irish novelist and poet
Layla al-Akhyaliyya (7th century), Arab poet
Emma Lazarus (1849–1887), best known for her poem "The New Colossus" (inscribed on the Statue of Liberty)
Jane Leade (1624–1704), English mystic
Louisa Leaman (born 1976), English writer on education
Mary Leapor (1722–1746), English poet
Violette Leduc (1907–1972), French novelist and autobiographer
Ursula K. Le Guin (born 1929), American science fiction and children's novelist, poet and essayist; Earthsea, Ekumen
Harper Lee (1926–2016), American novelist; To Kill a Mockingbird
Harriet Lee (1757–1851), English novelist and playwright
Muna Lee (1895–1965), American poet and translator
Sophia Lee (1750–1824), English playwright and novelist
Tanith Lee (born 1947), British novelist, poet, and screenwriter
Gertrud von Le Fort (1876–1971), German novelist, poet and essayist
Lee Hye-gyeong (1960), Korean poet
Joy Leftow, American poet
Tuija Lehtinen (born 1954), Finnish children's writer and novelist
Leena Lehtolainen (born 1964), Finnish crime writer
Rebecca Lenkiewicz (born 1968), English playwright
Katerina Lemmel (1466–1533), German letter-writer and nun
Madeleine L'Engle (born 1918), American novelist and children's novelist; A Wrinkle in Time
Sue Lenier (born 1957), English poet and playwright
Ellen Lenneck (1851–1880), German novelist and story writer
Anna Maria Lenngren (1754–1817), Swedish writer, poet, feminist, translator and salonist
Charlotte Lennox (1720–1804), English novelist, poet, and dramatist
Donna Leon (born 1942), American-Italian mystery novelist
Ellen Lenneck (Helene Weichardt, 1851–1880), German author of novels and novellas
Charlotte Lennox (1730–1804), American-born English writer and poet
Doris Leslie (1891–1982), British historical novelist and biographer
Doris Lessing (1919–2013), English-Zimbabwean novelist and Nobel Prize winner; Canopus in Argos
Meridel Le Sueur (1900–1996), American journalist and novelist
Octavia Walton Le Vert (1811–1877), American writer
Denise Levertov (1923–1997), English American poet and essayist
Aurora Levins Morales (born 1954), U.S. Puerto Rican essayist, poet and fiction writer
Andrea Levy (born 1956), English novelist
Fanny Lewald (1811–1889), German novelist and feminist
Alethea Lewis (1749–1827), English novelist
Janet Lewis (1899–1998), American novelist
Anne Ley (c. 1599-1641), English writer, teacher, and polemicist
Li Qingzhao (1084–1151), Chinese poet of the Song Dynasty
Mechtilde Lichnowsky (1879–1958), German poet, playwright and essayist
Erika Liebman (1738–1803), Swedish poet and academic
Antoinette du Ligier de la Garde Deshoulières (1638–1694), French poet
Werewere Liking (born 1950), Côte d'Ivoire-based writer and playwright
Rosa Liksom (born 1958), Finnish short story writer, novelist and children's writer
Suzanne Lilar (1901–1992), Belgian playwright, essayist and novelist writing in French
Lin Huiyin (1904–1955), Chinese architect and writer
Astrid Lindgren (1907–2002), Swedish children's novelist; Pippi Longstocking
Elizabeth Linington (1921–1988), American mystery novelist
Kelly Link (born 1969), American short story writer and editor
Laura Lippman (born 1959), American crime fiction writer
Clarice Lispector (1920–1977), Brazilian novelist; The Passion According to G.H.
S. E. Lister (born 1988), British novelist
Penelope Lively (1933), British novelist and children's writer; Moon Tiger
Dorothy Livesay (1909–1996), Canadian poet
Liz Lochhead (born 1947), Scottish poet and dramatist
Mirra Lokhvitskaya (1869–1905), Russian poet
Lesley Lokko, Ghanaian-Scottish novelist and academic
Joan Long, (born 1925), Australian screenwriter and producer
Ruth Frances Long (born 1971), Irish fantasy writer
Anita Loos (1888–1981), American screenwriter, playwright and novelist; Gentlemen Prefer BlondesGG
Josefina Lopez (born 1969), Chicana playwright,screenwriter and novelist; Real Women Have Curves
Audre Lorde (1934–1992), American poet
Emilie Loring (1864–1951), American romance novelist
Isabel Losada, British writer, actress, singer, dancer, and television producer
Amy Lowell (1874–1925), American poet
Lois Lowry (born 1937), American children's novelist; Number the Stars, The Giver
Mina Loy (1882–1966), English poet and artist
Dulce María Loynaz (1902–1997), Cuban poet and novelist
Clare Boothe Luce (1903–1987), American editor, playwright and journalist
Jane Lumley (1537–1578), English translator
Ulla-Lena Lundberg (born 1947), Finland-Swedish author
Luo Luo, Chinese novelist
Alison Lurie (born 1926), American novelist and academic; Foreign Affairs

Contents :

M

Rose Macaulay (1881–1958), English writer; The Towers of Trebizond
Betty MacDonald (1908–1958), American writer; The Egg and I, The Plague and I, Anybody Can Do Anything, Onions in the Stew, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
Gwendolyn MacEwen (1941–1987), Canadian novelist and poet
Serena Mackesy (born 1960s), English novelist and journalist
Mary Mackey (born 1945), American novelist, poet and academic
Patricia MacLachlan (born 1938), American children's novelist; Sarah, Plain and Tall
Mary MacLane (1881–1929), controversial Canadian-American writer
Charlotte MacLeod (1922–2005), Canadian/American novelist and mystery writer
Akka Mahadevi (12th century), Indian poet writing in Old Kannada
Mahsati Ganjavi (c. 1089–post-1159), Persian poet
Jennifer Maiden (born 1949), Australian poet
Eudokia Makrembolitissa (c.1021–1096), Byzantine poet and empress writing in Greek
Rosie Malek-Yonan, Assyrian novelist, actor and filmmaker
Gitta Mallasz (1907–1992), Hungarian author of esoteric dialogues
Françoise Mallet-Joris (born 1930), Belgian-French novelist and essayist
Nathalie Mallet, Canadian science fiction and fantasy writer
Richmal Mangnall (1769–1820), English schoolbook writer; Mangnall's Questions
Delarivier Manley (c. 1670–1724), English novelist, playwright, and political pamphleteer
Erika Mann (1905–1969), German writer, screenwriter and actress
Eeva-Liisa Manner (1921–1995), Finnish poet, playwright and translator
Olivia Manning (1908–1980), English novelist; Fortunes of War
Ruth Manning-Sanders (1886–1988), British poet and author best known for her series of children's books
Chris Mansell (born 1953), Australian poet and publisher
Katherine Mansfield (1888–1923), New Zealand-English short story writer
Lisa Mantchev, American author of fantasy novels
Hilary Mantel (born 1952), English writer of fiction, and essayist
Lee Maracle (born 1950), Canadian poet, novelist and storyteller
Dacia Maraini (born 1936), Italian novelist, playwright, poet and journalist
Anna Margolin (1887–1952), Russian-American Yiddish-language poet
Daphne Marlatt (born 1942), Canadian poet
E. Marlitt (Eugenie John, 1825–1877), German novelist
Monika Maron (born 1941), German essayist and political writer
Anne de Marquets (c. 1533–1588), French poet
Ellen Marriage (1865–1946), English translator of Balzac's novels
Ngaio Marsh (1895–1982), New Zealand mystery writer; Roderick Alleyn
Paule Marshall (born 1929), American novelist
Una Marson (1905–1965), Jamaican feminist, activist, radio producer and poet
Harriet Martineau (1802–1876), English novelist and social theorist
Judi Ann Mason (1955–2009), American playwright, screenwriter, journalist, producer; Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit
Bobbie Ann Mason (born 1940), American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and critic; In Country
Daphne du Maurier (1907–1989), English novelist and short story writer; Rebecca
Ana María Matute (1925–2014), Spanish novelist
DeBarra Mayo (born 1953), American bodybuilder and fitness writer
Eleanor Mayo (1920–1981), American novelist
Bunny McBride (born 1950), American writer, journalist, and anthropologist
Anne McCaffrey (1926–2011), American science fiction novelist; Dragonriders of Pern
Mary McCarthy (1912–1989), American novelist, critic and memoir writer
Sharyn McCrumb (born 1948), American novelist and short story writer
Carson McCullers (1917–1967), American novelist; The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
Colleen McCullough
Phyllis McGinley (1905–1978), American author of children’s books and poetry
Patricia A. McKillip (born 1948), American sci-fi and fantasy writer
Emma McLaughlin (born 1974), American novelist
Terry McMillan (born 1951), American novelist; Waiting to Exhale
Debbie Macomber
Richelle Mead (born 1976), American novelist; Vampire Academy
Gwerful Mechain (fl. 1460–1500), Welsh poet
Mechthild of Magdeburg (c. 1207–c. 1282/94), German mystic writing in Low German
Saint Mechtilde of Hackeborn (1240/41–1298), German religious writer in Latin
Selma Meerbaum-Eisinger (1924–1942), Romanian-born German poet
Cecília Meireles (1901–1964), Brazilian writer and educator
Pauline Melville (born 1948), Guyanese-born British writer and actress
Eva Menasse (born 1970), Austrian novelist and journalist
Sophie Mereau (1770–1806), German novelist and poet
Alda Merini (1931–2009), Italian writer and poet
Fatema Mernissi (born 1940), Moroccan feminist academic
Grace Metalious (1924–1964), American novelist; Peyton Place
Stephenie Meyer (born 1973), American novelist; The Host, Twilight Saga
Esther Meynell (1878–1955), British author; The Little Chronicle of Magdalena Bach, Sussex (County Books series)
Alice Meynell (1847–1922), English feminist essayist, critic and poet
Malwida von Meysenbug (1816–1903), German political writer and memoirist
Charlotte Mew (1869–1928), English poet; The Farmer's Bride
Máire Mhac an tSaoi (born 1922), Irish language scholar, poet, writer and academic
Michitsuna no Haha (c. 935–995), Japanese diarist
Agnes Miegel (1879–1964), German journalist, writer and poet
Jo Mihaly (1902–1989), German diarist, novelist and dancer
Mitsukazu Mihara (born 1970), Japanese manga writer and artist, illustrator
Grace Mildmay (1552–1620), English diarist
Josephine Miles (1911–1985), American poet and literary critic
Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892–1950), American poet
Caroline Pafford Miller (1903–1992), American novelist
Grażyna Miller (1957–2009), Polish poet, writer, translator
Kirsten Miller (born 1973), American novelist; Kiki Strike series
Leslie Adrienne Miller (born 1956), American poet
Rebecca Miller (born 1962), American novelist, writer; Jacob's Folly
Anchee Min (born 1957), Chinese American novelist and memoir writer; Red Azalea
Mirabai (aka Meera, Meera Bai) (c. 1498–c. 1547), Hindu mystical poet
Gabriela Mistral (Lucila Godoy Alcayaga) (1889–1957), Chilean poet, educator, diplomat, and feminist; first Latin American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature
Gladys Mitchell (1901–1983), English mystery novelist
Margaret Mitchell (1900–1949), American journalist and novelist; Gone with the Wind
Susan Mitchell (born 1944), American poet, essayist and translator
Naomi Mitchison (1897–1999), Scottish novelist and poet
Jessica Mitford (1917-1996), English-American author, journalist and civil rights activist; The American Way of Death
Mary Russell Mitford (1787–1855), English novelist and dramatist; Our Village
Nancy Mitford (1904–1973), English novelist, biographer and letterwriter; The Pursuit of Love, Love in a Cold Climate
Minae Mizumura (born 1951), U.S.-educated Japanese novelist, critic, essayist
Janet Mock (born 1983), American writer, transgender rights activist, author, and the former staff editor of People magazine's website
Moero or Myro (3rd century BC), Greek poet
Mary Louisa (Mrs) Molesworth (1839–1921), English children's novelist
Grace Mera Molisa (1947–2002), ni-Vanuatu politician, poet and campaigner for women's equality
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689–1762), English poet, essayist, diarist, and letter-writer
Florence Montgomery (1843–1923), English children's writer
Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874–1942), Canadian novelist, short story writer and poet; Anne of Green Gables
Ruth Montgomery (1912–2001), American journalist, novelist and psychic
Susanna Moodie (1803–1885), Canadian diarist, novelist, children's novelist and poet
Anne Moody (born 1940), American autobiographer; Coming of Age in Mississippi
C. L. Moore (1911–1987), American fantasy writer; Jirel of Joiry
Lorrie Moore (born 1957), American short story writer
Marianne Moore (1887–1972), American poet
Ruth Moore (1903–1989), American novelist, poet and short story writer
Barbara Moraff (born 1939), American poet of the Beat generation
Cherrie Moraga (born 1952), Chicana poet, playwright and essayist
Ann Moray (1909–1981), Irish-American novelist and singer
Hannah More (1745–1833), English moralist, poet, and playwright
Sydney, Lady Morgan (1781–1859), Irish novelist; The Wild Irish Girl
Irmtraud Morgner (1933–1990), German novelist
Jan Morris (born James Morris, 1926), Welsh historian and travel writer
Mary McGarry Morris (born 1943), American novelist; finalist, National Book Award and Pen/Faulkner Award; Vanished
Toni Morrison (born 1931), American novelist, children's novelist and 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature winner; Beloved
Penelope Mortimer (1918–1999), Welsh-English novelist
Marie Moser (born 1948), Canadian novelist and short-story writer
Thylias Moss (born 1954), American poet, children's novelist and playwright
Julia Moulden (born 1956), Canadian non-fiction writer and speechwriter
Lisel Mueller (born 1924), German-born American poet
Willa Muir (1890-1970), Scottish writer
Bharati Mukherjee (born 1940), Indian American novelist and short story writer; Jasmine
Lale Müldür (born 1956), Turkish poet and writer
Harryette Mullen (born 1953), American poet, short story writer, and literary scholar
Herta Müller (born 1953), Romanian-born German novelist, poet and essayist; Nobel Prize winner
Inge Müller (1925–1966), German poet
Alice Munro (born 1931), Canadian short-story writer; Dance of the Happy Shades
Murasaki Shikibu (c. 973–1014 or 1025), Japanese novelist and poet; The Tale of Genji
Iris Murdoch (1919–1999), Irish-English novelist and philosopher; The Sea, the Sea
Mary Noailles Murfree (1850–1922), American novelist and short story writer
Rosario Murillo (born 1951), Nicaraguan poet
C. E. Murphy (born 1973), American author
Margaret Murphy (born 1959), British crime novelist; The Dispossessed, Now You See Me
Inga Muscio (born 1966), American writer; Cunt: A Declaration of Independence
Susan Musgrave (born 1951), Canadian poet and children's writer
Małgorzata Musierowicz (born 1945), Polish writer, author of many stories and novels for children and teenagers
Carol Muske-Dukes (born 1945), American poet, novelist, essayist, critic, and professor; California Poet Laureate
Beverle Graves Myers (born 1951), American mystery novelist and short story writer

Contents :

N

Constance Naden (1858–1889), English poet and philosopher
Sarojini Naidu (aka The Nightingale of India) (1879–1949), child prodigy, Indian independence activist and poet
Carolina Nairne (1766–1845), Scottish songwriter
Nakatsukasa (912–991), Japanese poet
Bahiyyih Nakhjavani, Persian novelist
Taslima Nasrin (born 1962), Bengali doctor, novelist and poet and essayist; Lajja
Marguerite de Navarre (1492–1549), French poet, playwright and short story writer; Heptameron
Benedikte Naubert (1752–1819), German historical novelist
Gloria Naylor (born 1950), American novelist; The Women of Brewster Place
Irène Némirovsky (1903–1942), Ukrainian-born novelist writing in French
Adalgisa Nery (1905–1980), Brazilian poet, novelist, journalist and politician
E. Nesbit (1858–1924), English children's novelist and short story writer; Five Children and It
Friederike Caroline Neuber (1697–1760), German playwright and actress
Aimee Nezhukumatathil (born 1974), Asian American poet and essayist
Lauretta Ngcobo (1931–2015), South African novelist and essayist
Grace Nichols (born 1950), Guyanese poet
Lorine Niedecker (1903–1970), American poet; only woman associated with the Objectivist poets
Charlotte Niese (1854–1935), German writer and poet
Audrey Niffenegger (born 1963), American novelist and artist
Florence Nightingale (1820–1910), English nurse, statistician and feminist
Anaïs Nin (1903–1977), French eroticist, critic and diarist; Henry and June
Rebeka Njau (born 1932), Kenyan playwright and novelist
Anna de Noailles (1876–1933), French-born Romanian writer in French
Ingrid Noll (born 1935), German novelist
Oodgeroo Noonuccal (aka Kath Walker) (1920–1993), Australian poet, political activist, artist and educator
Hedvig Charlotta Nordenflycht (1718–1763), Swedish poet, feminist and salon hostess
Clara Nordström (1886–1962), Swedish-born novelist writing in German
Kathleen Norris (1880–1966), American novelist
Caroline Norton (1808–1877), English author, social reformer and feminist
Nossis (fl. c. 300 BC), Greek epigrammist and poet
Amélie Nothomb (born 1967), Belgian novelist
Alice Notley (born 1945), American poet
Helga M. Novak (born 1935), German poet and political writer
Mary Novik (born 1945), Canadian novelist
Princess Nukata (c. 630–690), Japanese poet of the Asuka period
Flora Nwapa (1931–1993), Nigerian novelist; Efuru
Julia Nyberg (1784–1854), Swedish poet and songwriter

Contents :

O

Ann Oakley (born 1944), English feminist academic and novelist
Joyce Carol Oates (born 1938), American novelist, short story writer, poet, playwright and critic; We Were the Mulvaneys
Charlotta Öberg (aka Lotta Öberg) (1818–1856), Swedish poet
Edna O'Brien (born 1930), Irish novelist and short story writer
Kate O'Brien (1897–1974), Irish novelist and playwright
Silvina Ocampo (1903–1994), Argentine poet and short story writer
Flannery O'Connor (1925–1964), American novelist and short story writer
Julia O'Faolain (born 1932), Irish novelist
Grace Ogot (born 1930), Kenyan novelist and short story writer
Oh Soo-yeon (born 1964)Korean author and essayist
Nnedi Okorafor (born 1974), Nigerian American novelist and short story writer
Sofi Oksanen (born 1977), Finnish novelist and playwright
Princess Ōku (661–702), Japanese poet
Sharon Olds (born 1942), American poet
Margaret Oliphant (1828–1897), Scottish novelist; Phoebe, Junior
Mary Oliver (born 1935), American poet
Tillie Olsen (1913–2007), American feminist novelist and short story writer
Mary Devenport O'Neill (1898–1957), Irish poet and dramatist
Fuyumi Ono (born 1960), Japanese novelist
Ono no Komachi (825–900), Japanese poet
Amelia Opie (1769–1853), English novelist
Mary Oppen (1908–1990), American activist, artist, photographer, poet and writer
Baroness Orczy (1865–1947), Hungarian-born English novelist, translator, and illustrator; The Scarlet Pimpernel
Mathilda d'Orozco (aka Mathilda Montgomery-Cederhjelm) (1796–1863), Swedish (originally Spanish-Italian) noble and salonist, composer, poet, writer, singer, amateur actress and harpsichordist
Eliza Orzeszkowa (1841–1910), Polish writer
Maggie O'Sullivan (1908–1990), British poet, performer and visual artist associated with the British Poetry Revival
Alice Oswald (born 1966), English poet
Ōtomo no Sakanoe no Iratsume (c. 700–750), Japanese poet
Ouida (1839–1908), English novelist and short story writer; Under Two Flags
Ōtagaki Rengetsu (1791–1875), Japanese poet and calligrapher
Angelika Overath (born 1957), German author and journalist
Julie O'Yang (born 1968), Chinese-born novelist, visual artist and screenwriter based in the Netherlands
Emine Sevgi Özdamar (born 1956), Turkish-born German novelist and playwright
Cynthia Ozick (born 1928), American critic and novelist

Contents :

P

Ruth Padel (born 1946), British poet, and non-fiction author known for her poetry criticism and nature writing
Isabel Pagan (c. 1740–1821), Scottish poet
Karen A. Page (born 1962), American food writer
Camille Paglia (born 1947), American feminist essayist; Sexual Personae
Charlotte Painter (born 1926), American novelist and writer
Marina Palei (born 1955), Russian writer; Rendezvous
Grace Paley (1922–2007), American short-story writer, poet and activist
Nettie Palmer (1885–1964), Australian poet, essayist and literary critic
Kirsti Paltto (born 1947), Sámi playwright, short-story and children's literature writer
Pamphile of Epidaurus (1st century AD), Greek historian
Emmeline Pankhurst (1858–1928), English feminist activist, speaker and autobiography writer
Sylvia Pankhurst (1882–1960), English suffragist, poet; wrote Writ on Cold Slate, poems about her prison experience
Vera Panova (1905–1973), Soviet novelist and short-story writer; Seryozha
Emilia Pardo Bazán (1851–1921), Spanish essayist and novelist
Sara Paretsky (born 1947), American mystery novelist
Dorothy Parker (1893–1967), American poet, critic and short-story writer
Adele Parks (born 1969), English fiction writer
Suzan-Lori Parks (born 1964), American playwright and screenwriter
Sophia Parnok (1885–1933), Russian Silver Age poet
Catherine Parr (born 1512), Queen of England from 1543 to 1547, spouse of King Henry VIII
Anne Parrish (1888–1957), American children's novelist
Sarah Willis Parton (Fanny Fern) (1811–1872), American novelist, columnist and children's short story writer
Vesna Parun (1922–2010), Croatian poet
Ann Patchett (born 1963)
Karolina Pavlova (1807–1893), Russian writer; A Double Life
Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska (1891–1945), Polish poet
Laura Pedersen (born 1965), American author, humorist and playwright; The Brightness of Heaven
Erica Pedretti (born 1930), Czechoslovakian-born Swiss writer in German
Inês Pedrosa (born 1962), Portuguese journalist, novelist, short story writer, children's writer and playwright
Kira Peikoff (born 1987), American thriller writer
Kathleen Peirce (born 1956), American poet
Emily Pepys (1833–1877), English child diarist (1844–5)
Elizabeth Peters (born 1927), American mystery novelist; Amelia Peabody
Ellis Peters (1913–1995), Welsh-English mystery novelist, short-story writer and translator; Brother Cadfael
Julia Peterkin (1880–1961), American short-story writer and novelist
Marine Petrossian (born 1960), Armenian poet, essayist and columnist
Lyudmila Petrushevskaya (born 1938), Russian writer and dramatist; Immortal Love
Ann Petry (1908–1997), American journalist, short-story writer and novelist
Katherine Philips (1631–1664), English poet
Phintys (or Phyntis, 4th or 3rd century BC), Greek philosopher
Karoline Pichler (also Caroline, 1769–1843), Austrian novelist; Agathocles
Pickles (a pen name), American children's book author^[2]
Jodi Picoult (born 1966), American novelist
Meredith Ann Pierce (born 1958), American fantasy writer
Tamora Pierce (born 1954), American children's novelist; Alanna of Trebond
Marge Piercy (born 1936), American poet, novelist, and social activist
Ruth Pitter (1897–1992), English poet; first woman to receive the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry, in 1955
Mary Pix (1666–1709), English novelist and playwright
Christine de Pizan (1364–1430), Venetian feminist poet and rhetorician in French; The Book of the City of Ladies
Alejandra Pizarnik (1936–1972), Argentine poet
Josefina Pla (1903–1999), Spanish poet, playwright, art critic, painter and journalist
Sylvia Plath (1932–1963), American poet, novelist, short-story writer and essayist
Ann Plato (born c. 1820), American essayist
Karen Platt (fl. 2004–present), English gardening writer
Anne Plumptre (1760–1818), English translator and fiction, travel, and political writer
Daphne Pochin Mould (1920–), English-born geology, religion and history writer
Aliénor de Poitiers (fl. late 15th century), French writer on court etiquette
Elizabeth Polack (fl. 1830–1838), Anglo-Jewish playwright
Katha Pollitt (born 1949), American feminist poet, essayist and critic
Elizaveta Polonskaya (1890–1969), Russian Jewish poet, translator, and journalist
Elizabeth Polwheele (1651–c. 1691), British playwright
Elena Poniatowska (born 1932), Polish-Mexican journalist, novelist and short-story writer
Marie Ponsot (born 1921), American poet and essayist
Anna Maria Porter (1780–1832), English poet and novelist
Eleanor H. Porter (1868–1920), American children's writer; Pollyanna
Jane Porter (1776–1850), English historical novelist and playwright
Katherine Anne Porter (1890–1980), American journalist, essayist, story writer and novelist
Beatrix Potter (1866–1943), English children's writer and illustrator; The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Emily Post (1873–1960), American journalist and novelist; Etiquette
Halina Poświatowska (1935–1967), Polish poet
Dawn Powell (1896–1965), American novelist, playwright and short-story writer
Marguerite Agnes Power (1815–1867), British novelist, periodical writer, and editor
Rhoda Power (1890–1957), English educational and children's writer
Praxilla (5th century BC), Greek poet
Paula von Preradović (1887–1951), Austrian story writer and poet
Katharine Susannah Prichard (1883–1969), Australian novelist, playwright and short-story writer
Mary Prince (c. 1788-after 1833), Bermuda-born writer of the first account of the life an enslaved black woman to be published in the UK, The History of Mary Prince (1831)
Pauline Prior-Pitt, British poet
Amrita Pritam (1919–2005), considered the first prominent woman Punjabi poet, novelist, and essayist
Faltonia Betitia Proba (c. 306/15–c. 353/66), Roman poet in Latin
Adelaide Anne Procter (1825–1864), English poet
E. Annie Proulx (born 1935), American novelist, short-story writer and journalist; The Shipping News
Ptolemais of Cyrene, (3rd century BC or later), Greek writer on music
Barbara Pym (1913–1980), English novelist; Quartet in Autumn

Contents :

Q

Qiu Jin (1875–1907), Chinese revolutionary, feminist and writer
Anna Quindlen (born 1953), American journalist, columnist, novelist; Black and Blue

Contents :

R

Ra Heeduk (born 1966), Korean poet
Rabia Balkhi (10th century), Persian poet
Ann Radcliffe (1764–1823), English gothic novelist; The Mysteries of Udolpho
Radegund (c. 520–586), Frankish princess and poet writing in Latin
Rajashree, Indian chick lit novelist; Trust Me
Ayn Rand (1905–1982), Russian American novelist and philosopher; The Fountainhead; Atlas Shrugged
Mary Randolph (1762–1828), American housekeeping book and cookbook author; The Virginia House-Wife
Jennifer Rankin (1941–1979), Australian poet and playwright
Ellen Raskin (1928–1984), American children's writer and illustrator; The Westing Game
Claudia Rankine (born 1963), American poet and playwright
Rao Xueman (born 1972), Chinese novelist, short story writer, essayist and blogger
Elsa Rautee (1897–1987), Finnish poet
Dahlia Ravikovitch (1936–2005), Israeli poet, translator, and peace activist
Angela Rawlings (born 1978), Canadian poet, editor, and interdisciplinary artist
Angela Readman (born 1973), English poet
Pauline Réage (1907–1998), French erotic novelist; Story of O
Elisa von der Recke (Elisabeth Recke), (1754–1833), German writer and poet from Courland
Jaclyn Reding (born 1966), American historical romance novelist
Ruth Reichl (born 1948), American food and memoir writer
Mirkka Rekola (born 1931), Finnish poet
Mary Renault (1905–1983), English historical novelist; Fire From Heaven, The Last of the Wine
Ruth Rendell (born 1930), English mystery novelist; A Fatal Inversion
Gabriele Reuter (1859–1941), German novelist, essayist and children's writer
Fanny zu Reventlow (Franziska, 1871–1918), political writer and feminist
Regina Rheda (Sãõ Paulo, Brazil, 1957), short-story writer, novelist; animal rights advocate; Humana Festa
Jean Rhys (1890–1979), Dominican novelist; Wide Sargasso Sea
Mrs. Riazuddin (born 1928), Pakistami feminist activist and travelogue writer
Marie Jeanne Riccoboni (1714–1792), French novelist
Anne Rice (born 1941), American novelist; Vampire Chronicles
Adrienne Rich (born 1929), American feminist poet
Dorothy Richardson (1873–1957), English novelist, poet, essayist and short story writer
Elizabeth Richardson (1576/7–1651), English religious writer
Henry Handel Richardson (real name Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson, 1870–1946), Australian novelist; The Fortunes of Richard Mahony
Jutta Richter (born 1955), German author of children's and youth literature
Lola Ridge (1873–1941), anarchist poet and an influential editor of avant-garde, feminist, and Marxist publications
Laura Riding (1901–1991), American poet, critic, novelist, essayist and short story writer
Brigitte Riebe (also Laura Stern, born 1935), German novelist
Alifa Rifaat (1930–1996), Egyptian short story writer
Denise Riley (born 1948), English poet and philosopher
Mary Roberts Rinehart (1876–1958), American novelist, playwright, and poet; The Butler Did It
Luise Rinser (1911–2002), German novelist, autobiographer and children's writer
Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie (1837–1919), English novelist
Ana Irma Rivera Lassén (born 1955), Puerto Rican poet, feminist writer and lawyer
Antoinette Henriette Clémence Robert (1797–1872), French novelist and playwright
Emma Roberts (1794–1840), English travel writer and poet
Michèle Roberts (born 1949), British noveleist and poet
Nora Roberts (pen name J. D. Robb, born 1959), American romance and fantasy novelist; In Death series
E. Arnot Robertson (1903–1961), English novelist
Lisa Robertson (born 1961), Canadian poet
Marilynne Robinson (born 1943), American novelist; Gilead
Mary Robinson (1757–1800), English poet, novelist, and actress
Lucia St. Clair Robson, American novelist
Charlotte Roche (born 1978), English-born novelist in German; Feuchtgebiete
Esther Rochon (born 1948), Canadian science fiction novelist
Ginny Rorby (born 1944), American young adult novelist
Christina Rossetti (1830–1894), English poet; Goblin Market and Other Poems
Veronica Rossi (born 1973), American young adult novelist
Judith Rossner (1935–2005), American novelist; Looking for Mr. Goodbar
Anne Rouen (born 1950), Global Ebook award-winning,^[3] historical fiction novelist
Anne Rouse (born 1954), American-British poet
Mary Rowlandson (1635–1711), American memoirist
J. K. Rowling (born 1965), English novelist; Harry Potter series
Susanna Rowson (1762–1824), British-American novelist, poet and playwright; Charlotte Temple, Lucy Temple
Susanna Roxman, English writer, poet and critic born in Sweden; Imagining Seals
Arundhati Roy (born 1961), Indian novelist; The God of Small Things
Gabrielle Roy (1909–1983), Canadian novelist and journalist; The Tin Flute
Lucinda Roy (born 1955), novelist
S. J. Rozan (born 1950), American crime fiction writer; Winter and Night
Pascale Roze (born 1954), French playwright and novelist
Bernice Rubens (1928–2004), Welsh novelist
Dina Rubina (born 1953), Russian writer; The Blackthorn
Anne Rudloe (1947-2012), American marine biologist, Zen Buddhist
Anneli Rufus, American journalist
Muriel Rukeyser (1913–1980), American feminist poet
Joanna Russ (born 1937), American novelist, essayist, and short story writer
Gig Ryan (born 1956), Australian poet
Kay Ryan (born 1945), American poet and educator; 16th US Poet Laureate
Marah Ellis Ryan (1860–1934), American novelist specializing in western frontier and European-American Indian relationships
Nan Ryan, American writer of romance novels

Contents :

S

Nawal el-Saadawi (born 1931), Egyptian feminist writer, novelist, and short-story writer
Nelly Sachs (1891–1970), German poet and playwright
Vita Sackville-West (1892–1962), English writer, poet and gardener
Elif Safak (born 1971), Turkish writer
Françoise Sagan (1935–2004), French playwright, novelist, and screenwriter
Mamta Sagar (born 1966), Kannada poet and playwright living in Bangalore
Sarojini Sahoo (born 1956), Indian feminist writer, novelist and short-story writer; Sensible Sensuality, The Dark Abode
Nandini Sahu (born 1973), Indian English poet, folklorist and academic
Lisa St Aubin de Terán (born 1953), English novelist and memoirist; Keepers of the House
Stéphanie Félicité du Crest de Saint-Aubin (1746–1830), novelist, playwright and children's writer: see Genlis
Pirkko Saisio (born 1949), Finnish author, actress and director
Excilia Saldaña (1946-1999), Afro-Cuban poet and children's literature writer
Blanaid Salkeld (1880–1959), Irish poet, dramatist, actor and salon hostess
Lydie Salvayre (born 1948), French writer
Jessica Amanda Salmonson (born 1950), American novelist, essayist, editor, and short-story writer
Samina Raja (born 1961), Pakistani poet, writer, editor, translator, educationist and broadcaster
Fiona Sampson (born 1968), British poet and editor
Sonia Sanchez (born 1934), American poet, playwright, and children's writer
Milcha Sanchez-Scott (born 1953), American playwright
George Sand (1804–1876), French novelist and playwright; Indiana
Mari Sandoz (1896–1966), American novelist, biographer, and short story writer
Sappho (c. 630–570 BC), Greek poet
Dipti Saravanamuttu (born 1960), Sri Lankan-Australian poet and journalist
Nathalie Sarraute (1900–1999), Russian-French novelist and essayist
May Sarton (1912–1995), Belgian American poet, novelist, and memoirist
Marjane Satrapi (born 1969), Iranian graphic novelist
Robin Sax (born c. 1971), American true-crime author, commentator, and former prosecutor
Dorothy L. Sayers (1893–1957), English mystery novelist, translator, essayist, and short-story writer; Whose Body?
Oda Schaefer (1900–1988), German poet and journalist
Caroline Schelling (1763–1809), German essayist, critic and correspondent
Stacy Schiff (born 1961), American non-fiction author and guest columnist; winner of the Pulitzer Prize
Dorothea von Schlegel (1764–1839), German novelist and translator
Eva Schloss (born 1929), Austrian Jewish memoirist and Holocaust survivor
Elke Schmitter (born 1961), German novelist
Pat Schneider (born 1934), American writer, poet and editor
Jane Johnston Schoolcraft (1800–1842), American Indian writer of poetry and fiction
Elizabeth of Schönau (1129–1165), German visionary writing in Latin
Amalie Schoppe (1791–1858), German children's writer
Olive Schreiner (1855–1920), South African novelist, allegorist, and political writer
Ossip Schubin (real name Aloisia Kirschner, 1854–1934), Austrian novelist
Simone Schwarz-Bart (born 1938), French playwright and novelist
Ann Scott (born 1965), French novelist
Cathy Scott, American true crime author, biographer, and journalist; The Killing of Tupac Shakur
Jane Scott (c. 1779–1839), English theatre manager, performer, and playwright
Madeleine de Scudéry (1607–1701), French novelist
Molly Elliot Seawell (1860–1916), American essayist, novelist, and short-story writer
Alice Sebold (born 1963), American novelist; The Lovely Bones
Catharine Sedgwick (1789–1867), American novelist
Lisa See (born 1955), Chinese-American novelist; Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Anna Seghers (1900–1983), German novelist; The Seventh Cross
Comtesse de Ségur (1799–1874), Russian-French novelist
Taiye Selasi, Nigerian-Ghanaian novelist
Olive Senior (born 1941), Jamaican poet, novelist, short story writer
Danzy Senna (born 1970), American novelist
Ruta Sepetys (born 1967), Lithuanian-American writer of historical fiction
Nina Serrano (born 1934), American poet, writer, storyteller, and independent media producer
Diane Setterfield (born 1964), English novelist; The Thirteenth Tale
Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné (1626–1696), French letter-writer
Anna Seward (1747–1809), English Romantic poet
Anna Sewell (1820–1887), English novelist; Black Beauty
Anne Sexton (1928–1974), American poet
Ippolita Maria Sforza (1446–1484), Italian writer (also wrote in Latin)
Marietta Shaginyan (1888–1982), Soviet (Russian) writer and political activist; Mess-Mend
Ruchoma Shain (died 2013), author of All for the Boss
Ntozake Shange (born 1948), American playwright and novelist
Shangguan Wan'er (c. 664–710), Chinese poet and prose writer
Jo Shapcott (born 1953), English poet, editor and lecturer
Tatiana Shchepkina-Kupernik (1874–1952), Russian writer and dramatist; Deborah
Alice Sheldon (1915–1987), American novelist and short-story writer
Mary Shelley (1797–1851), English novelist; Frankenstein
Nan Shepherd (1893–1981), Scottish novelist and poet
Frances Sheridan (1724–1766), Irish novelist and playwright
Mary Martha Sherwood (1775–1851), English children's writer
Carol Shields (1935–2003), American-Canadian novelist; The Stone Diaries
Murasaki Shikibu (973–1025), Japanese novelist and poet; The Tale of Genji
Sim Yunkyung (born 1972), Korean novelist
Nan Shepherd (1893-1981), Scottish writer
Shin Kyeong-nim (born 1936), South Korean writer
Shikishi Naishinnō (died 1201), Japanese classical poet
Aki Shimazaki (born 1954), Canadian novelist and translator
Sharon Shinn (born 1957), American novelist
Shirome (10th century), Japanese poet
Maria Shkapskaya (1891–1952), Soviet poet and journalist
Sei Shōnagon (965–1010), Japanese writer; The Pillow Book
Bapsi Sidhwa (born 1938), Pakistani novelist
Mary Sidney (1561–1621), English translator, playwright, and poet
Leslie Marmon Silko (born 1948), American novelist, poet, and short-story writer
Nea Anna Simone (born 1960), African American novelist and poet
Ruth Simpson (1926–2008), American lesbian author, founder of first lesbian community center
Jo Sinclair (1913–1995), pen name of Ruth Seid, Jewish-American writer
May Sinclair (1862–1946), English novelist, poet, and short-story writer
Johanna Sinisalo (born 1958), Finnish science-fiction and fantasy writer
Edith Sitwell (1887–1964), English poet
Maj Sjöwall (born 1935), Swedish mystery novelist
Vendela Skytte (1608–1627), Swedish writer
Karin Slaughter (born 1971), American crime writer
Barbara Sleigh (1906–1982), children's writer and broadcaster; Carbonel series
Anna Smaill (born 1979), New Zealand poet and novelist; The Chimes
Jane Smiley (born 1949), American novelist
Ali Smith (born 1962), Scottish novelist
Amanda Smith (1837–1915), American evangelist and autobiographer
Betty Smith (1896–1972), American novelist; A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Charlotte Turner Smith (1749–1806), English poet and novelist
Dodie Smith (1896–1990), English novelist and playwright; I Capture the Castle
Doris Buchanan Smith (1934–2002), American children's novelist; A Taste of Blackberries
Patti Smith (born 1946), American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist
Stevie Smith (1902–1971), English poet and novelist
Tracy K. Smith (born 1972), African American poet and educator
Zadie Smith (born 1975), English novelist
Laura J. Snyder (born 1964), philosopher and historian
Seo Hajin (born 1960), Korean author
So Young-en (born 1943), Korea author
Edith Södergran (1892–1923), Finland-Swedish poet
Zulu Sofola (1935-1995), Nigerian playwright and dramatist
Somerville and Ross (Edith Somerville, 1858–1949, and Violet Florence Martin, 1862–1915, writing as Martin Ross), Irish novelists; The Irish R. M.
Son Bo-mi (born 1980), Korean novelist
Cathy Song (born 1955), American poet
Susan Sontag (1933–2004), American essayist and novelist
Fuyumi Soryo (born 1959), Japanese manga writer
Aminata Sow Fall (born 1941), Senegalese novelist
Muriel Spark (1918–2006), Scottish novelist; The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Terry Spear, American urban fantasy romance and medieval romance novelist
Anne Spencer (1882–1975), American poet
Leonora Speyer (1872–1956), American poet and violinist
Erica Spindler (1957), American writer specializing in romantic thrillers and mystery
Harriet Elizabeth Prescott Spofford (1835–1921), American mystery novelist, poet, and short-story writer
Johanna Spyri (1827–1901), Swiss children's writer; Heidi
Marilyn Stablein (born 1946), American poet, essayist and fiction writer
Ilse von Stach (1879–1941), German playwright, novelist and poet
Madame de Staël (1766–1817), Swiss-French novelist
Jean Stafford (1915–1979), American novelist and short-story writer
Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815–1902), American feminist journalist and essayist
Freya Stark (1893–1993), British travel writer
Lilian Staveley (1878–1928), Christian writer and mystic whose works were published anonymously
Christina Stead (1902–1983), Australian novelist and short-story writer
Danielle Steel (born 1947), American romance novelist
Flora Annie Steel (1847–1929), English novelist
Charlotte von Stein, (1742–1827), German dramatist and friend of Goethe
Gertrude Stein (1874–1946), American novelist, playwright, poet, librettist, and short-story writer
Joanne Stepaniak (born 1954), American author of vegan cookbooks and books on veganism
Maria W. Stewart (1803–1897), American feminist lecturer and journalist
Mary Stewart (born 1916), English mystery/romance novelist
Susan Stewart (born 1952), American poet, university professor and literary critic
Ruth Stone (born 1915), American poet
Sam Stone English novellist, Short story writer and playwright. Mostly known for Horror, Fantasy and Steampunk.
Alfonsina Storni (1892–1938), Argentinian poet
Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811–1836), American novelist; Uncle Tom's Cabin
Barbra Joan Streisand (1942), American screenwriter and songwriter
Hesba Stretton (1832–1911), English children's writer
Agnes Strickland (1796–1874), English history writer and poet
Eva Strittmatter (1930–2011), German poet and children's writer
Elizabeth Strout
Jan Struther (1901–1953), Scottish hymn writer and novelist; Mrs. Miniver
Lady Louisa Stuart (1757–1851), English writer of memoirs and letters
Sugawara no Takasue no musume (born 1008), Japanese diarist
Sulpicia, two poets share the name, both of Ancient Rome:
- Sulpicia I (fl. 1st century BC)
- Sulpicia II (fl. 1st century AD)
Jacqueline Susann (1918–1974), American novelist
Efua Sutherland (1924–1996), Ghanaian playwright, children's author and dramatist
Bertha von Suttner (1843–1914), Austrian novelist and Nobel Prize winner
Anni Swan (1875–1958), Finnish author of children's books, journalist and translator
May Swenson (1913–1989), American poet and playwright
Magda Szabó (1917–2007), Hungarian novelist, poet, playwright; The Door
Mária Szepes (1908–2007), Hungarian author of esoteric and science-fiction novels
Wisława Szymborska (1923–2012), Polish poet

Contents :

T

Gladys Taber (1899–1980), American novelist, nature writer
Véronique Tadjo (born 1955), Côte d'Ivoire poet, novelist, artist
Princess Tajima (died 708), Japanese poet
Lisa Takeba (born 1983), Japanese screenwriter
Amy Tan (born 1952), American novelist; The Joy Luck Club
Meca Tanaka (born 1976), Japanese manga writer
Shelley Tanaka, Canadian nonfiction children's writer
Yelizaveta Tarakhovskaya (1891–1968), Soviet Russian poet, playwright, translator, and author of children's books
Sooni Taraporevala (born 1957), Indian screenwriter and photographer
Cheryl Kaye Tardif (born 1963), Canadian suspense novelist; Whale Song
Lisa Ysaye Tarleau (1885–1952), American short story author
Judith Tarr, (born 1955), American author; The Hound and the Falcon
Donna Tartt (born 1963), American novelist
Ann Taylor (1782–1866), English poet and critic
Elizabeth Taylor, English novelist At Mrs. Lippincote's
Jane Taylor (1783–1824), English poet and novelist; "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"
Susie Taylor (1848–1912), American teacher and memoir writer
Teresia Teaiwa, I-Kiribati and American poet and academic
Sara Teasdale (1884–1933), American lyrical poet
Nadezhda Teffi (1872–1952), Russian/Soviet writer; Close Friends
Telesilla (fl. 510 BC), Greek poet
Olena Teliha (1906–1942), Ukrainian poet
Claudine Guérin de Tencin (1682–1748), French novelist
Teresa of Ávila (1515–1582), Spanish nun, monastic reformer, and mystic
Mary Church Terrell (1863–1954), African-American activist and journalist
Josephine Tey (1896–1952), Scottish mystery novelist
Celia Thaxter (1835–1894), American writer of poetry and stories
Elizabeth Thomas (1770/71–1855), English Gothic novelist and religious poet
Louie Myfanwy Thomas (1908–68), Welsh writer and novelist
Hester Thrale (Mrs Piozzi, 1741–1821), English diarist and author; Anecdotes of the Late Samuel Johnson
Tibors de Sarenom (c. 1130–post-1198), French poet writing in Occitan
Petronella Johanna de Timmerman (1723–1786), Dutch poet and scientist
Miriam Tlali (born 1933), South African novelist
Olga Tokarczuk (born 1962), Polish writer and poet
Lynn Toler (born 1958), American lawyer and the arbitrator on the court series Divorce Court
Lisa Tolliver, American academic-practitioner and media personality
Tatyana Tolstaya (born 1951), Russian TV presenter, novelist, and essayist
Fatma Aliye Topuz (1862–1936), Turkish and Muslim novelist
Lucrezia Tornabuoni (1425–1482), Italian poet
Angela Topping (born 1954), British poet, literary critic and author
Torfhildur Þorsteinsdóttir (1845–1918), Icelandic novelist and short story writer
P. L. Travers (1889–1996), Australian-British writer of the Mary Poppins books
Natasha Trethewey (born 1966), American poet; Mississippi Poet Laureate, won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
Adriana Trigiani, Italian-American writer and filmmaker
Sarah Trimmer (1741–1810), English children's writer and critic
Flora Tristan (1803–1844), French socialist writer, feminist and activist
Frances Trollope (1779–1863), English novelist and travel writer; Domestic Manners of the Americans
Joanna Trollope (born 1943), English novelist
Catherine Trotter (1679–1749), Scottish-English novelist, playwright, philosopher, and letter-writer
Trotula (11th–12th century), Spanish writer on women's medicine writing in Latin
Meta Truscott (1917–2014), Australian diarist and Ashgrove historian
Sojourner Truth (1797–1883), American feminist; "Ain't I a Woman?"
Marina Tsvetaeva (1892–1941), Russian poet
Evgenia Tur (1815–1892), Russian novelist and literary critic; Antonina
Megan Whalen Turner (born 1965), American fantasy writer
Agata Tuszynska (born 1957), Polish writer, poet and journalist
Violet Tweedale (1862–1936), Scottish writer and poet
Chase Twichell (born 1950), American poet, professor, and publisher
Anne Tyler (born 1941), American novelist

Contents :

U

Brenda Ueland (1891–1985), American-Norwegian writer, journalist, teacher; If You Want to Write: A Book About Art, Independence, and Spirit
Jenny Uglow (born 1940s), British biographer
Uhwudong (died 1480), Korean writer, poet and dancer
Lesya Ukrainka (1871–1913), Ukrainian poet
Adaora Lily Ulasi (born 1932), Nigerian novelist and journalist
Leonora Christina Ulfeldt, (1621–1698), author of the Danish masterpiece Jammers Minde
Anya Ulinich (born 1973), Russian writer; Petropolis
Regina Ullmann (1884–1961), Swiss poet writing in German
Lyudmila Ulitskaya (born 1943), Russian writer; Medea and Her Children
Sigrid Undset (1882–1949), Norwegian novelist and 1928 Nobel Prize in Literature-winner; Kristin Lavransdatter
Joan Ure (1918–1978), Scottish poet and playwright
Jane Urquhart (born 1949), Canadian novelist and poet; The Stone Carvers
Kaari Utrio (born 1942), Finnish novelist; Isabella
Uvavnuk (fl. early 20th century), Inuit poet

Contents :

V

Celestine Vaite (born 1966), Tahitian novelist
Katri Vala (1901–1944), Finnish poet
Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez (born 1969), American novelist, journalist and screenwriter
Aline Valek, (born 1986), Brazilian writer, novelist, editor and illustrator
Jean Valentine (born 1934), American poet; New York State Poet Laureate
Luisa Valenzuela (born 1938), Argentinian novelist and short story writer
Rahel Varnhagen (1771–1833), German essayist and correspondent
Mariya Vilinska (1833–1907), Russian/Ukrainian novelist, and translator
Jennifer Vanasco (born 1971), American columnist and journalist
Mona Van Duyn (1921–2004), American poet; 36th US Poet Laureate
Lin Van Hek (1944), Australian novelist
Mahadevi Varma (1906–1987), Hindi poet, freedom fighter, women's activist and educationist from India
Janine Pommy Vega (1942–2010), American poet associated with the Beat generation
Yvonne Vera (1964–2005), Zimbabwean novelist
Tatiana Vedenska (born 1976), Russian novelist
Anastasiya Verbitskaya (1861–1928), Russian novelist and dramatist; Keys to Happiness
Lidia Veselitskaya (1857–1936), Russian novelist; Mimi's Marriage
Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise du Deffand (1697–1780), French correspondent
Clara Viebig (1862–1952), German novelist and playwright
Monica Vikström-Jokela (born 1960), Finnish-Swedish television script writer and author
Maruxa Vilalta (born 1932), Mexican playwright
Marie-Catherine de Villedieu (1640–1683), French playwright, novelist, and short story writer
Louise Leveque de Vilmorin (1902–1969), French novelist, poet, and journalist
Renée Vivien (1877–1909), French poet
Élisabeth Vonarburg (born 1947), French science fiction novelist
Marko Vovchok (1833–1907), Russian/Ukrainian writer; Ukrainian Folk Tales
Ellen Bryant Voigt (born 1943), American poet and essayist
Julia Voznesenskaya (born 1940), Soviet/Russian writer; The Women's Decameron
Susanna de Vries (born 1936), Australian biographical author
Jurgen Vsych (born 1966), American director and screenwriter

Contents :

W

Charity Waciuma (born 1936), Kenyan novelist
Elizabeth Wagele (born 1939), American author and cartoonist
Diane Wakoski (born 1937), American poet
Rosmarie Waldrop (born 1935), American poet, translator and publisher
Anne Waldman (born 1945), American poet
Alice Walker (born 1944), American novelist, short story writer, and poet; The Color Purple
Margaret Walker (1915–1998), American poet and novelist
Wallada bint al-Mustakfi (1001–1080), Andalusian poet writing in Arabic
María Elena Walsh (1930–2011), Argentine poet, novelist, musician, and playwright
Ania Walwicz (born 1951), Australian poet
Harriet Ward (1808–1873), non-fiction and fiction set in South Africa
Mary Augusta Ward (Mrs Humphrey Ward, 1851–1920), English novelist
Gertrude Chandler Warner (1890–1979), American children's writer
Susan Warner (1819–1885), American children's writer and songwriter
Myriam Warner-Vieyra (born 1939), Guadeloupean poet and novelist
Wendy Wasserstein (1950–2006), American playwright
Sarah Waters (born 1966), Welsh-born novelist
Margaret Way, Australian author of romance novels
Catherine Webb (born 1986), British novelist
Mary Webb (1881–1927), English novelist; Precious Bane
Simone Weil (1909–1943), French mystic and philosopher
Hannah Weiner (1928–1997), American poet
Dorothy Wellesley (1889–1956), English poet
Ida B. Wells (1862–1931), African-American journalist, newspaper editor, suffragist, sociologist
Martha Wells (born 1964), American novelist
Eudora Welty (1909–2001), American novelist, short story writer, and photographer
Viola S. Wendt (1907–1986), American poet and educator
Dorothy West (1907–1998), American novelist and short story writer
Jane West (1758–1852), English novelist, poet, playwright, and tract-writer
Rebecca West (1892–1983), British novelist, essayist, and travel writer; Black Lamb and Grey Falcon
Anne Wharton (1659–1685), English poet
Edith Wharton (1862–1937), American novelist and short story writer; The Age of Innocence
Leslie What (born 1955), American novelist and short story writer
Phillis Wheatley (1753–1784), American poet
Evelyn Whitaker (1857–1903), British novelist
Antonia White (1899–1980), English novelist and short story writer
Dorothy White (c. 1630–1686), English religious writer
Ellen White (1827–1915), American evangelist and prophetess
Isabella Whitney (born c. 1540), English poet
Phyllis A. Whitney (born 1903), American mystery novelist
Anna Wickham (1884–1947), British poet
Zoë Wicomb (born 1948), South African novelist and short story writer
Margaret Widdemer (1884–1978), American poet and novelist
Ulrika Widström (1764–1841), Swedish poet and translator
Elisabeth of Wied (pen name Carmen Sylva, 1843–1916), poet, playwright and queen consort of Romania
Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850–1919), American poet
Charlotte Wilder (1898–1980), American poet
Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867–1957), American children's writer; Little House on the Prairie
Helen Maria Williams (1762–1827), English novelist and poet
Sherley Anne Williams (1944–1999), American poet and novelist
Connie Willis (born 1945), American science fiction writer
Elizabeth Willis (born 1961), American poet, literary critic and professor
Kate Wilhelm (born 1928), American novelist and short story writer
Jacqueline Wilson (born 1945), English children's writer
Harriet E. Wilson (1825–1900), American novelist
Sarah Winnemucca (1841–1891), American lecturer and autobiographer
Jeanette Winterson (born 1959), English novelist
Jane Wiseman (c. 1682–1717), English poet and playwright
Monique Wittig (born 1935), French writer and feminist
Maria Petronella Woesthoven (1760–1830), Dutch poet
Gabriele Wohmann (born 1932), German novelist and story writer
Christa Wolf (1929–2011), German novelist, critic and essayist
Leslie Wolfe (born 1967), American novelist
Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797), English novelist and feminist; A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Jade Snow Wong (1922–2006), American ceramic artist and autobiographer
Nellie Wong (born 1934), Chinese-American feminist poet; Dreams in Harrison Railroad Park, The Death of Long Steam Lady
Ellen (Mrs Henry) Wood (1814–1887), English novelist; East Lynne
Virginia Woolf (1882–1941), English novelist and essayist; Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse
Constance Fenimore Woolson (1840–1894), American novelist and short story writer
Dorothy Wordsworth (1771–1855), English poet and diarist
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689–1762), English letter-writer
C. D. Wright (born 1949), American poet
Judith Wright (born 1915), Australian poet
Mary Tappan Wright (1851–1916), American novelist and short story writer
Lady Mary Wroth (1587–1652), English poet
Wu Zetian (624–705), Chinese poet, essayist, and empress regnant
Audrey Wurdemann (1911–1960), American poet; won 1935 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
Elinor Wylie (1885–1928), American poet and novelist
Sylvia Wynter (born 1928), Jamaican novelist, dramtatist, critic and essayist

Contents :

X

Xiao Hong (1911–1942), Chinese novelist and short story writer
Xie Daoyun (pre-340–post-399), Chinese poet
Olga Xirinacs Díaz (born 1936), writer and piano teacher
Empress Xu (1362–1407), Chinese bibliographer and empress consort
Xu Hui (627–650), Chinese poet
Halima Xudoyberdiyeva (born 1947), Uzbek poet; People's Poet of Uzbekistan
Xue Tao (768–831), Chinese poet

Contents :

Y

Hisaye Yamamoto (1921–2011), Japanese American short story writer
Empress Yamato (fl. later 7th century), Japanese poet
Wakako Yamauchi (born 1924), Japanese American writer
Ann Yearsley (1753–1806), English poet, novelist, and playwright
Yeo Ok, Korean poet from the Gojoseon kingdom
Anzia Yezierska (1883–1970), Polish American novelist and short story writer
Yi Geun-hwa (born 1976), Korean poet
Charlotte M. Yonge (1823–1901), English novelist
Banana Yoshimoto (born 1964), Japanese novelist
Marguerite Yourcenar (1903–1987), Belgian novelist and essayist writing in French
Akiko Yosano (1878–1942), Japanese poet
Yu Anjin (1941), Korean poet and essayist
Yu Xuanji (844–869 or 871), Chinese poet

Contents :

Z

Helen Zahavi (born 1966), British writer; Dirty Weekend
Gabriela Zapolska (1860–1921), Polish novelist, playwright, naturalist writer
Marya Zaturenska (1902–1982), American poet; won 1938 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
María de Zayas y Sotomayor (1590–?), Spanish novelist
Eva Zeller (born 1923), German poet and novelist
Empress Zhangsun, (601–636), Chinese moralist; Examples for Women
Vera Zhelikhovsky (1835–1896), Russian writer; The General's Will
Zhu Shuzhen (c. 1135–1180), Chinese poet
Maria Zhukova (1804–1855), Russian writer; Evenings on the Karpovka
Zhuo Wenjun (Wen Jun, 2nd century BC), Chinese poet
Lydia Zimmermann (born 1966), Spanish filmmaker and screenwriter
Alice Zimmern (1855–1939), English writer and translator
Hedda Zinner (also Elisabeth Frank, 1905–1994), German political writer
Lydia Zinovieva-Annibal (1866–1907), Russian writer; The Tragic Menagerie
Zitkala-Sa (1876–1938), American writer
Kathinka Zitz-Halein (1801–1877), German writer
Narcyza Żmichowska (1818–1876), Polish novelist and poet
Zuo Fen (c. 255–300), Chinese poet
Unica Zürn (1916–1970), German poet and painter
Fay Zwicky (born 1933), Australian poet and academic

Contents :

References

↑ Retrieved 15 November 2016.
↑ Pickles
↑ "2014 Global Ebook Awards Winners". Global EBook Awards.

External links

Lists of women writers by nationality

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/2/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.

List of women writers

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

See also

References

External links