List of women writers

Contents: Top - 0–9 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

A

• Eleanor Hallowell Abbott
• Louise Abeita
• Abiola Abrams
• Kathy Acker
• Juliette Adam
• Abigail Adams
• Stephanie Adams (born 1970), American author.
• Fleur Adcock (born 1935)
• Yda Addis
• Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• Renata Adler
• Grace Aguilar
• Freda Ahenakew
• Ilse Aichinger
• Laurie Halse Anderson
• Ama Ata Aidoo
• Lucy Aikin
• Bella Akhmadulina
• Anna Akhmatova
• Anne-Marie Albiach
• Jordie Albiston
• Louisa May Alcott
• Isabella Macdonald Alden
• Claribel Alegría (born 1924), Nicaraguan-born author and poet.
• Álfrún Gunnlaugsdóttir
• Isabel Allende
• Phyllis Shand Allfrey
• Margery Allingham
• Dorothy Allison
• Julia Álvarez
• Jessica Anderson
• Maya Angelou
• Jane Anger
• Gloria E. Anzaldúa
• Hannah Arendt
• Karen Armstrong
• Kelley Armstrong (born 1968), Canadian author. Writer of the Women Of The Otherworld Series.
• Bettina von Arnim
• Elizabeth von Arnim
• Joanne Arnott
• Harriette Arnow
• Anastasia Ashman
• Pitseolak Ashoona
• Margot Asquith
• Mary Astell
• Gertrude Atherton
• Eleanor Stackhouse Atkinson
• Kate Atkinson
• Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (born 1984), American novelist.
• Margaret Atwood (born 1939), Canadian novelist, poet, and critic. The Handmaid's Tale
• Penelope Aubin (c. 1679 – c. 1731), English novelist and translator.
• Jean M. Auel (born 1936), American novelist. Earth's Children series.
• Ruthie Augustein (born 1965)
• Rose Ausländer
• Jane Austen
• Mary Austin
• Auvaiyar
• Margaret Avison
• Marilou Awiakta
• Kiran Bashir Ahmad Pakistani short story writer. Parched Earth Plans In Pink

B

• Natalie Babbitt
• Ingeborg Bachmann
• Delia Bacon
• Enid Bagnold
• Joanna Baillie (1762–1851), Scottish poet and dramatist.
• Dorothy Baker
• Faith Baldwin
• Toni Cade Bambara
• Mary Ellen Bamford
• Ban Zhao
• Helen Elliott Bandini
• Leslie Esdaile Banks
• Helen Bannerman
• Bette Bao-Lord
• Anna Laetitia Barbauld
• Nicola Barker
• Mary Barnard
• Djuna Barnes
• Margaret Ayer Barnes
• Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr
• Lynne Barrett
• Allie Bates
• Vicki Baum
• Nathasha Beaulieu
• Simone de Beauvoir
• Béatrix Beck
• Gioconda Belli (born 1948), Nicaraguan revolutionary, writer and is designated among the 100 most important poets during the 20th century.
• Patricia Beer (1919–1999)
• Mrs. Beeton
• Aphra Behn (1640–1689), British playwright, poet, and novelist. The Rover
• Victoria Benedictsson
• Juliana Berners
• Bertice Berry
• Betty Berzon
• Annie Besant
• Elizabeth Bibesco
• Marthe Bibesco
• Isabella Bird
• Anne Bishop
• Elizabeth Bishop
• Malorie Blackman
• Neltje Blanchan
• Countess of Blessington
• Francesca Lia Block (born 1962), Weetzie Bat series.
• Amelia Bloomer
• Judy Blume
• Louise Bogan
• Eavan Boland (born 1944)
• Sarah Knowles Bolton
• María Luisa Bombal
• Tanella Boni
• Geraldine Bonner
• Marita Bonner
• Gertrude Bonnin (Zitkala-Sa)
• Mary Everest Boole
• Frances Boothby (fl. c. 1669–1670), British playwright.
• Alice Borchardt
• Phyllis Bottome
• Elizabeth Bowen
• Jane Bowles
• Mary Bowes (1749–1800), English playwright and botanist.
• Kay Boyle
• Leigh Brackett
• Mary Elizabeth Braddon
• Marion Zimmer Bradley
• Anne Bradstreet
• Shannon Bramer (born 1973), Poet.
• Anna Hempstead Branch
• Hannah Brand (1754–1821), English actress and playwright.
• Ann Brashares, author of The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants series
• Lily Braun
• Angela Brazil
• Fredrika Bremer
• Mary Chavelita Dunne Bright
• Vera Brittain
• Anne Brontë
• Charlotte Brontë
• Emily Brontë
• Frances Brooke (1723–1789), English novelist, essayist, playwright, and translator.
• Anita Brookner
• Geraldine Brooks (born 1955), Pulitzer Prize winning author of March.
• Gwendolyn Brooks
• Rhoda Broughton
• Rebecca Brown (born 1956)
• Elizabeth Barrett Browning
• Pearl S. Buck
• Buffalo Bird Woman
• Frances Hodgson Burnett
• Frances Burney (1752–1840), English novelist, diarist, letter-writer, and playwright. Evelina
• Frances Burney (1776–1828), English governess and author of closet drama.
• Olivia Ward Bush
• Sharon Butala
• Octavia Butler
• Susan Bulkeley Butler
• Mary Butts
• A. S. Byatt

C

• Caroline Caddy
• Florence Caddy
• Mona Caird
• Teena Cahill
• Hortense Calisher
• Maria Callcott
• Bebe Moore Campbell
• Marion May Campbell
• Dorothy Canfield
• Minna Canth
• Lan Cao
• Jacqueline Carey
• Leonora Carrington
• Angela Carter
• Elizabeth Cary (1585–1639), English playwright. The Tragedy of Mariam
• Rosario Castellanos
• Ana Castillo
• Rosalía de Castro
• Willa Cather
• 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. The Busybody
• Lorna Dee Cervantes (born 1954)
• Theresa Hak Kyung Cha
• Charlotte Charke (1713–1760), English actress, playwright, novelist, and autobiographer.
• Daína Chaviano
• Ying Chen
• C. J. Cherryh (born 1942), American sci-fi and fantasy author.
• Lydia Maria Child
• Mei Chin
• Paulina Chiziane
• Kate Chopin
• Agatha Christie
• Lady Mary Chudleigh
• Ismat Chughtai
• Caryl Churchill (born 1938)
• Sandra Cisneros
• Mary Higgins Clark
• Pearl Cleage
• Beverly Cleary
• Michelle Cliff
• Lucille Clifton
• Catherine Bacos Clinch
• Catherine Clive (1711–1785), English actress and dramatist.
• Wendy Coakley-Thompson
• Wanda Coleman
• Mary Elizabeth Coleridge
• Colette
• Mary Colum
• Anne Compton (born 1947), Canadian poet, critic, and anthologist.
• Marvel Cooke
• Elizabeth Cook-Lynn
• Margaret Coombs aka Margaret Gwendoline Harris (1945–2004), Regards to the Czar 1988, The Best Man for This Sort Of Thing 1990
• Cornificia, 1st century BC poet
• Patricia Cornwell
• Anita Cornwell
• Jayne Cortez
• Arlette Cousture
• Margaret Craven
• Hélisenne de Crenne
• M. T. C. Cronin
• Elsa Cross (born 1946), Mexican poet and essayist.
• Catherine Crowe (1800–1876), English dramatist, novelist, and author of children's books.
• Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1651–1695), Mexican poet and playwright.
• Maria Susanna Cummins
• Isabella Valancy Crawford
• Dymphna Cusack
• Mary Crow Dog

D

• H.D. (Hilda Doolittle)
• Jordan Dane
• Edwidge Danticat
• Cecilia Dart-Thornton
• Amma Darko
• Marie Darrieussecq
• Helen Darville
• Kamala Das
• Madame d'Aulnoy
• Marcia Davenport
• Henriette Davidis
• Angela Davis
• Dorothy Salisbury Davis
• Rebecca Harding Davis
• Mary Davys (1674–1732), Irish novelist and playwright.
• Laura Day
• Shobha De
• Aurora de Albornoz
• Pamela Dean (born 1953), American novelist.
• Kathryn Deans
• Françoise d'Eaubonne
• Delores Defacto
• E. M. Delafield
• Monique Deland
• Lucy Delaney
• Ella Cara Deloria
• Enid Derham
• Anita Desai
• Kiran Desai
• Marceline Desbordes-Valmore
• Antoinette du Ligier de la Garde Deshoulières
• Mahasweta Devi
• Ashapoorna Devi
• Caroline Dexter
• Emily Dickinson
• Joan Didion
• Annie Dillard (born 1945)
• Isak Dinesen
• Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
• Assia Djebar
• Rosemary Dobson
• Mary Mapes Dodge
• Hilde Domin
• Emma Donoghue (born 1969), Irish novelist.
• O. Douglas, pen name of Anna Buchan (1877–1948)
• Sara Douglass
• Rita Dove (born 1952)
• Unity Dow
• Margaret Drabble
• Hannah L. Drake
• Judith Drake
• Annette von Droste-Hülshoff
• Marilyn Dumont (born 1955), First Nations Canadian poet.
• Sarah Dunant
• Alice Dunbar-Nelson
• Elaine Dundy
• Dương Thu Hương
• Mary Durack
• Claire de Duras
• Marguerite Duras
• Edrea Davis

E

• Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach
• Leigh Eddings
• Maria Edgeworth
• Barbara Ehrenreich
• George Eliot
• Elizabeth Elstob
• Diamela Eltit
• Buchi Emecheta (born 1944), Nigerian novelist.
• Carol Emshwiller (born 1921), American novelist and short story writer.
• Enchi Fumiko
• Marian Engel
• Nora Ephron
• Louise Erdrich
• Anastasia Eristavi-Khoshtaria
• Laura Esquivel
• Clarissa Pinkola Estés
• Eleanor Estes
• Janet Evanovich (born 1943), American novelist.
• Augusta Jane Evans
• Mari Evans
• Matilda Jane Evans

F

• Diane Fahey
• Karina Falcon (born 1984), Mexican essayist and poet.
• Ursula Fanthorpe (born 1929), British poet.
• Nancy Farmer (born 1941), Young adult and children's novelist.
• Jesse Redmon Fauset
• Else Feldmann
• Edna Ferber
• Charlene "Charlie" Fern
• Fanny Fern
• Renée Ferrer de Arréllaga
• Rachel Field
• Helen Fielding (born 1958), English novelist.
• Sarah Fielding (1710–1768), English novelist. The Adventures of David Simple
• Sia Figiel
• Adelaide Filleul
• Anne Finch (1661–1720), English poet.
• M.F.K. Fisher
• Penelope Fitzgerald
• Louise Fitzhugh
• Fannie Flagg
• Mary Hallock Foote
• Esther Forbes
• Margaret Forster
• Hannah Webster Foster
• Karen Joy Fowler (born 1950), American novelist and short story writer.
• Janet Frame
• Anne Frank
• Miles Franklin
• Antonia Fraser
• Jan Frazier
• Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman
• Gayleen Froese
• Margaret Fuller
• Mary Eliza Fullerton

G

• Ekaterine Gabashvili
• Mary Gaitskill
• Zona Gale
• Mavis Gallant
• Helen Garner
• Elizabeth Gaskell (born 1810), English novelist.
• Whitney Gaskell (born 1972), American novelist.
• Pauline Gedge
• Elizabeth George
• Margaret George
• Heidi Gibbons
• Kaye Gibbons
• Stella Gibbons
• Ellen Gilchrist
• ElizaBeth Gilligan
• Charlotte Perkins Gilman
• Nikki Giovanni
• Diane Glancy
• Ellen Glasgow
• Susan Glaspell
• Louise Glück (born 1943)
• Emma Goldman
• Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda
• Nadine Gordimer
• Catherine Gore (1799–1861), British novelist and dramatist.
• Hiromi Goto
• Olympe de Gouges (born 1966), Canadian novelist and short story writer.
• Posie Graeme-Evans
• Agnieszka Graff
• Sue Grafton
• Jorie Graham (born 1951)
• Anna Katharine Green
• Gael Greene
• Lady Gregory
• Elizabeth Griffith (c. 1727 – 1793), Irish dramatist, fiction writer, essayist, and actress
• Martha Grimes
• Charlotte Forten Grimké
• Angelina Weld Grimke
• Claudine Guérin de Tencin
• Guðrún Helgadóttir
• Judith Guest
• Germaine Guèvremont
• Eileen Gunn (born 1945), American short story writer and editor.

H

• Jessica Hagedorn (born 1949), Filipino American poet, playwright and novelist.
• Radclyffe Hall (1880–1943), English novelist.
• Gisèle Halimi (born 1927), French-Tunisian feminist essayist.
• Anne, Lady Halkett (1623–1699), English memoirist and religious essayist.
• Virginia Hamilton (1936–2002), American children's novelist. M. C. Higgins, the Great
• Lorraine Hansberry (1930–1965), American playwright. A Raisin in the Sun
• Thea von Harbou (1888–1954), Prussian-German novelist and screenwriter.
• Joy Harjo (born 1951), American poet.
• Frances Harper (1825–1911), American poet and novelist. Iola Leroy
• Gwen Harwood (1920–1995), Australian poet and librettist.
• Marlen Haushofer (1920–1970), Austrian novelist and children's author.
• Eliza Haywood (1693–1756), English novelist, playwright, essayist, poet, and translator. The History of Miss Betsy Thoughtless
• Bessie Head (1937–1986), Botswanan novelist, journalist and short story writer.
• Anne Hébert (1916–2000), Canadian poet and novelist. Kamouraska
• Allison Hedge Coke (born 1958), American Poet and writer.
• Ursula Hegi (born 1946), German American novelist.
• Lillian Hellman (1905–1984), American playwright.
• Felicia Hemans (1793–1835), English-Welsh poet.
• Beth Henley (born 1952), American playwright and screenwriter.
• Mary Sidney Herbert (1561–1621), English poet, translator, and patron.
• Karen Hesse (born 1952), American children's novelist. Out of the Dust
• 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. Scivias
• S. E. Hinton (born 1948), American children's novelist. The Outsiders
• Laura Z. Hobson (1900–1986), American novelist.
• Nina Kiriki Hoffman (born 1955), American novelist and short story writer.
• Linda Hogan (born 1947), American poet, novelist and short story writer.
• Winifred Holtby (1898–1935), English novelist and journalist.
• Carlotta G. Holton Award winning American author/journalist.
• bell hooks (born 1952), American feminist academic.
• Pauline Hopkins (1859–1930), American novelist, journalist and playwright.
• Janette Turner Hospital (born 1942), Australian novelist and short story writer.
• Ada Verdun Howell (1902–1981), Australian American poet.
• Fannie Hurst (1885–1968), American novelist.
• Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960), American novelist.
• Nancy Huston (born 1953), Canadian-French novelist and essayist.
• Lucy Hutchinson (1620–1681), English biographer.
• Elspeth Huxley (1907–1997), English-Kenyan memoirist and journalist.

I

• Nilima Ibrahim (1921–2002), Bangladeshi writer (details missing).
• Elizabeth Inchbald (1753–1821), English novelist, actress, and dramatist. A Simple Story
• Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867–1957), American novelist. Little House on the Prairie
• Ingibjörg Haraldsdóttir (born 1942), Icelandic poet.
• Sylvia Iparraguirre (born 1947), Argentine novelist.
• Molly Ivins (born 1944), American columnist.

J

• Helen Hunt Jackson (1830–1885), American novelist. Ramona
• Shelley Jackson (born 1963), Filipino American novelist, short story writer and essayist. Patchwork Girl (hypertext)
• 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
• Rona Jaffe (1932–2005), American novelist. The Best of Everything
• Alice James (1848–1892), American diarist.
• P. D. James (born 1920), English mystery novelist. Cover Her Face
• Elizabeth Janeway (1913–2005), American novelist.
• Tama Janowitz (born 1957), American novelist, short story writer and screenwriter. Slaves of New York
• Sarah Orne Jewett (1849–1909), American novelist and short story writer.
• Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (born 1927), German-English-Indian-American novelist and screenwriter. Heat and Dust, A Room with a View, Howards End
• Rita Joe (born 1932), Canadian poet.
• Georgia Douglas Johnson (1877–1966), American poet.
• Helene Johnson (1906–1995), American poet.
• Pauline Johnson (1861–1913), Canadian poet. Flint and Feather
• Mary Johnston (1870–1936), American novelist.
• Diana Wynne Jones (born 1934), British novelist, primarily of fantasy.
• Marcie Jones (born 1973), American journalist and parenting writer.
• Sandy Jones birthdate missing. American parenting writer.
• Erica Jong (born 1942), American novelist. Fear of Flying
• Ingrid Jonker (1933–1965), South African poet.
• June Jordan (1936–2002), American poet, essayist, journalist, novelist, librettist and autobiography writer.
• Heidi Julavits birthdate missing. American journalist and novelist.
• Julian of Norwich (1342–1416), English mystic.

K

• Molly Keane (1904–1996), Irish novelist.
• Elizabeth Keckley (c. 1818 – 1907), American memoir writer.
• Antigone Kefala (born 1935), Romanian-Greek-Australian poet.
• Agnes Newton Keith (1901–1982), American memoir writer and novelist. Three Came Home
• Helen Keller (1880–1968), American lecturer, essayist, and autobiography writer. Light in my Darkness
• Margery Kempe (c. 1373 – 1438), English autobiography writer.
• Irmgard Keun (1905–1982), German novelist.
• Sue Monk Kidd (born 1948), American writer. The Secret Life of Bees
• Anne Killigrew (1660–1685), English 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.
• Barbara Kingsolver (born 1955), American novelist, poet, short story writer and essayist.
• Maxine Hong Kingston (born 1940), Chinese American novelist and academic.
• Carolyn Kizer (born 1925), American poet.
• Lina Kostenko (born 1930), Ukrainian poet.
• Elizabeth Kostova (born 1964), American novelist. The Historian
• Julia Kristeva (born 1941), Bulgarian-French critic, philosopher and novelist.
• Kristín Marja Baldursdóttir (born 1949), Icelandic novelist.
• Agota Kristof (born 1935), Hungarian-Swiss novelist.
• Maxine Kumin (born 1925), American poet and children's novelist.

L

• Marie Laberge
• Micheline Lachance
• Mercedes Lackey (born 1950), American fantasy novelist.
• Madame de La Fayette (1634–1693), French novelist. La Princesse de Clèves
• Jhumpa Lahiri (born 1967), Bengali American short story writer and novelist. The Namesake
• Selma Lagerlof (1858–1940), Swedish novelist and children's novelist, and 1909 Nobel Prize in Literature-winner. Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige (The wonderful adventures of Nils Holgersson)
• Dilys Laing
• Laila Lalami (born 1968), Moroccan American journalist, essayist and novelist. Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits
• Lalleshvari (1320–1392), Kashmiri poet.
• Alice Elinor Lambert (1886–1981), West coast romance novelist.
• Margaret Landon (1903–1993), American novelist. Anna and the King of Siam
• Jane Lane historical novelist and biographer
• Eve Langley (1908–1974), Australian novelist.
• Aemilia Lanyer (1569–1645), English poet.
• Alda Lara (1930–1962), Angolan poet.
• Claudia Lars (1899–1974), El Salvadorean (?) poet.
• Nella Larsen (1891–1964), American novelist and short story writer.
• Margaret Laurence (1926–1987), Canadian novelist and short story writer. The Stone Angel
• Mary Lavin (1912–1996), Irish novelist and short story writer.
• Emma Lazarus (1849–1887), Portuguese American poet. "The New Colossus"
• Jane Leade (1624–1704), English mystic.
• Louisa Leaman (born 1976), Education writer.
• Violette Leduc (1907–1972), French novelist.
• Ursula K. Le Guin (born 1929), American science fiction novelist, children's novelist, poet and essayist. Earthsea, Ekumen
• Harper Lee (born 1926), 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.
• Joy Leftow birthdate missing. American poet.
• Madeleine L'Engle (born 1918), American novelist and children's novelist. A Wrinkle in Time
• Charlotte Lennox (1720–1804), English novelist, poet, and dramatist. The Female Quixote
• Donna Leon (born 1942), American-Italian mystery novelist.
• Ellen Lenneck (1851–1880), Pseudonym for Helene Weichardt. German author of novels and novellas.
• Doris Lessing (born 1919), English-Zimbabwean novelist. Canopus in Argos
• Meridel Le Sueur (1900–1996), American journalist and novelist.
• Denise Levertov (1923–1997), English American poet and essayist.
• Janet Lewis (1899–1998), American novelist.
• Li Qingzhao (1084–1151), Chinese poet.
• Suzanne Lilar (1901–1992), Belgian playwright, essayist and novelist.
• 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.
• Clarice Lispector (1920–1977), Brazilian novelist. A Paixão segundo G.H.
• Dorothy Livesay (1909–1996), Canadian poet.
• Anita Loos (1888–1981), American screenwriter, playwright and novelist. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (book)
• Audre Lorde (1934–1992), American poet
• Emilie Loring (1864–1951), American romance novelist.
• Isabel Losada
• 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 Booth Luce (1903–1987), American editor, playwright and journalist.
• Jane Lumley (1537–1578), English translator.
• Alison Lurie (born 1926), American novelist and academic. Foreign Affairs

M

• Gwendolyn MacEwen (1941–1987), Canadian novelist and poet.
• Patricia MacLachlan birthdate missing. American children's novelist. Sarah, Plain and Tall
• Charlotte MacLeod (1922–2005), Canadian/American novelist and mystery writer.
• Rosie Malek-Yonan birthdate missing. Assyrian novelist, actor and filmmaker.
• Françoise Mallet-Joris (born 1930), Belgian-French novelist and essayist.
• Nathalie Mallet Canadian science fiction, fantasy writer.
• Delarivier Manley (c. 1670 – 1724), British novelist, playwright, and political pamphleteer.
• Katherine Mansfield (1888–1923), New Zealand-English short story writer.
• Lee Maracle (born 1950), Canadian poet, novelist and storyteller.
• Marguerite de Navarre (1492–1549), French poet, playwright and short story writer. Heptameron
• Marie de France (12th century), French-English poet. The Lais of Marie de France
• Ngaio Marsh (1895–1982), New Zealand mystery writer. Roderick Alleyn
• Paule Marshall (born 1929), American novelist.
• Bobbie Ann Mason (born 1940), English novelist, short story writer, essayist, and critic.
• Daphne du Maurier (1907–1989), English novelist and short story writer. Rebecca
• 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 (born 1926), American science fiction novelist. Dragonriders of Pern
• Mary McCarthy (author) (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
• Cassidy McKay (born 1966), American romance novelist. Sometimes Murphy Wins, The Variance Series, A Candle in the Window
• Patricia A. McKillip (born 1948), American sci-fi and fantasy writer.
• Emma McLaughlin American novelist.
• Terry McMillan (born 1951), American novelist. Waiting to Exhale
• Kat Meads
• Fatema Mernissi (born 1940), Moroccan feminist academic.
• Grace Metalious (1924–1964), American novelist. Peyton Place
• Alice Meynell (1847–1922), English feminist essayist, critic and poet.
• Charlotte Mew (1869–1928), English poet. The Farmer's Bride
• Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892–1950), American poet.
• Caroline Miller (1903–1992), American novelist.
• Anchee Min (born 1957), Chinese American novelist and memoir writer. Red Azalea
• Mirabai (1498–1547), Rajasthani mystical poet.
• Gabriela Mistral (1889–1957), Chilean poet and 1945 Nobel Prize in Literature-winner. Sonetos de la Muerte
• Gladys Mitchell (1901–1983), English mystery novelist.
• Margaret Mitchell (1900–1949), American journalist and novelist. Gone with the Wind
• Naomi Mitchison (1897–1999), Scottish novelist and poet.
• Mary Russell Mitford (1787–1855), English novelist and dramatist.
• Nancy Mitford (1904–1973), English novelist, biographer and letterwriter.
• Szilvia Molnar (born 1984), Swedish poet and writer of short prose
• Hélène Monette
• Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689–1762), English poet, essayist, diarist, and letter-writer.
• Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874–1942), Canadian novelist, short story writer and poet. Anne of Green Gables
• Susanna Moodie (1803–1885), Canadian diarist, novelist, children's novelist and poet. Roughing It in the Bush
• Anne Moody (born 1940), American autobiographer. Coming of Age in Mississippi
• 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.
• Hannah More (1745–1833), English moralist, poet, and playwright.
• Jan Morris (born 1926), Welsh historian and travel writer.
• Toni Morrison (born 1931), American novelist, children's novelist and 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature-winner. Beloved
• Penelope Mortimer (1918–1999), Welsh-English novelist.
• Farnoosh Moshiri
• Thylias Moss (born 1954), American poet, children's novelist and playwright.
• Bharati Mukherjee (born 1940), Indian American novelist and short story writer. Jasmine
• 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
• Margaret Murphy British crime novelist, author of The Dispossessed and Now You See Me.

N

• Bahiyyih Nakhjavani birthdate missing. Persian novelist.
• Taslima Nasrin (born 1962), Bengali doctor, novelist and poet and essayist. Lajja
• Gloria Naylor (born 1950), American novelist. The Women of Brewster Place
• Irène Némirovsky (1903–1942), Ukrainian-French novelist.
• E. Nesbit (1858–1924), English children's novelist and short story writer. Five Children and It
• Aimee Nezhukumatathil (born 1974), Asian American poet and essayist.
• 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
• Anne de Noailles (1876–1933), Romanian-French novelist and poet.
• Kathleen Norris (1880–1966), American novelist.
• Amélie Nothomb (born 1967), Belgian novelist.
• Florence Atwater

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
• 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.
• Grace Ogot (born 1930), Kenyan novelist and short story writer.
• Sharon Olds (born 1942), American poet.
• Tillie Olsen (1913–2007), American feminist novelist and short story writer.
• Ono no Komachi (825–900), Japanese poet.
• Baroness Orczy (1865–1947), Hungarian-English translator, illustrator and novelist. The Scarlet Pimpernel
• Ōtagaki Rengetsu (1791–1875), Japanese poet and calligrapher.
• Cynthia Ozick (born 1928), American critic and novelist.

P

• Karen A. Page birthdate missing. American (?) food writer.
• Camille Paglia (born 1947), American feminist essayist. Sexual Personae
• Grace Paley (1922–2007), American short story writer, poet and activist.
• Emmeline Pankhurst (1858–1928), English feminist activist, speaker and autobiography writer.
• 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.
• Suzan-Lori Parks (born 1964), American playwright and screenwriter.
• Jean Pauley (born 1959), Houston, Tx American writer on the justice system; now lives in Arizona with her two kids.
• Anne Parrish (1888–1957), American children's novelist.
• Sarah Willis Parton (1811–1872), American novelist, columnist and children's short story writer.
• Marlys Pearson (born 1963), American gay romance writer and Lambda Award nominee. Also known as M.J. Pearson.
• Elizabeth Peters (born 1927), American mystery novelist. Amelia Peabody
• Ellis Peters (1913–1995), Welsh-English mystery novelist, novelist, short story writer and translator. Brother Cadfael
• Julia Peterkin (1880–1961), American short story writer and novelist.
• Ann Petry (1908–1997), American journalist, short story writer and novelist.
• Katherine Philips (1631–1664), British poet.
• Karoline Pichler (1769–1843), Austrian novelist. Agathocles
• Meredith Ann Pierce (born 1958), American fantasy writer.
• Tamora Pierce (born 1954), American children's novelist. Alanna of Trebond
• Ruth Pitter (1897–1992), English (?) poet.
• Mary Pix (1666–1709), English novelist and playwright.
• Christine de Pizan (1364–1430), Venetian feminist poet and rhetorician. The Book of the City of Ladies
• Sylvia Plath (1932–1963), Emrican poet, novelist, short story writer and essayist.
• Ann Plato (born c. 1820, date of death unknown), American essayist.
• Karen Platt birthdate missing. English gardening writer.
• Anne Plumptre (1760–1818), English translator and fiction, travel, and political writer.
• Marie Helène Poitras
• Elizabeth Polack (fl. 1830–1838), Anglo-Jewish playwright.
• 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.
• Eleanor H. Porter (1868–1920), American children's writer. Pollyanna
• Jane Porter (1776–1850), English historical novelist.
• Katherine Anne Porter (1890–1980), American journalist, essayist, short 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
• Dawn Powell (1896–1965), American novelist, playwright and short story writer.
• Mary Previte, (1932-) author of Hungry Ghosts, served in the New Jersey General Assembly representing the 6th legislative district from 1998 to 2006.
• Katharine Susannah Prichard (1883–1969), Australian novelist, playwright and short story writer.
• E. Annie Proulx (born 1935), American novelist, short story writer and journalist. The Shipping News
• Barbara Pym (1913–1980), English novelist. Quartet in Autumn

R

• Ann Radcliffe (1764–1823), English gothic novelist. The Mysteries of Udolpho
• Ayn Rand (1905–1982), Russian American novelist and philosopher. The Fountainhead; Atlas Shrugged
• Jennifer Rankin (1941–1979), Australian poet and playwright.
• Ellen Raskin (1928–1984), American children's writer and illustrator. The Westing Game
• Pauline Réage (1907–1998), French erotic novelist. Story of O
• Jaclyn Reding (born 1966), American historical romance novelist.
• Ruth Reichl (born 1948), American food and memoir writer.
• 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
• Jean Rhys (1890–1979), Dominican novelist. Wide Sargasso Sea
• 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 stream-of-consciousness novelist, poet, essayist and short story writer.
• Henry Handel Richardson (1870–1946), Australian novelist. The Fortunes of Richard Mahony
• Alifa Rifaat (1930–1996), Egyptian short story writer.
• Mary Roberts Rinehart (1876–1958), American mystery novelist, playwright, short story writer and poet. "The butler did it"
• Marilynne Robinson (born 1943), American novelist. Gilead
• Mary Robinson (1757–1800), English poet, novelist, and actress.
• Lucia St. Clair Robson birthdate missing. American novelist.
• Esther Rochon (born 1948), Canadian science fiction novelist.
• Ginny Rorby. American young adult novelist.
• Christina Rossetti (1830–1894), English poet. Goblin Market and Other Poems
• Judith Rossner (1935–2005), American novelist. Looking for Mr. Goodbar
• Mary Rowlandson (1635–1711), American memoir writer.
• J.K. Rowling (born 1965), English novelist. Harry Potter series.
• Arundhati Roy (born 1961), Indian novelist. The God of Small Things
• Gabrielle Roy (1909–1983), Canadian novelist and journalist. The Tin Flute
• Bernice Rubens (1928–2004), Welsh novelist.
• 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.

S

• Sarojini Sahoo (born 1956), Indian feminist writer, novelist and short story writer.
• Nawal el-Saadawi (born 1931), Egyptian feminist writer, novelist, and short story writer.
• Cynthia M. Sabotka (born 1953), American author, prose and memoirist. Life Is Like A Line.
• Françoise Sagan (1935–2004), French playwright, novelist, and screenwriter.
• Lydie Salvayre
• Jessica Amanda Salmonson (born 1950), American novelist, essayist, editor, and short story writer.
• George Sand (1804–1876), French novelist and playwright.
• Sonia Sanchez (born 1934), American poet, playwright, and children's writer.
• Mari Sandoz (1896–1966), American novelist, biographer, and short story writer.
• Sapphire (Ramona Lofton) (born 1950)
• 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.
• Dorothy L. Sayers (1893–1957), English mystery novelist, translator, essayist, and short story writer. Whose Body?
• Jane Johnston Schoolcraft (1800-1842), Early American Indian writer of poetry and fiction
• Olive Schreiner (1855–1920), South African novelist, allegorist, and political writer.
• Cathy Scott (born 1949), True crime author and biographer.
• 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.
• Comtesse de Ségur (1799–1874), Russian-French novelist.
• Diane Setterfield English author. The Thirteenth Tale
• Frances Sheridan (1724–1766), Irish novelist and playwright.
• Sharon Shinn (born 1957), American novelist.
• Sei Shōnagon (965–1010), Japanese writer. The Pillow Book
• Danzy Senna (born 1970), American novelist.
• Anne Sexton (1928–1974), American poet.
• Ntozake Shange (born 1948), American playwright and novelist.
• Alice Sheldon (1915-1987), American novelist and short story writer.
• Mary Shelley (1797–1851), English novelist. Frankenstein
• Carol Shields (1935–2003), American-Canadian novelist. The Stone Diaries
• Shikishi Naishinnō (died 1201), Japanese poet.
• Aki Shimazaki
• 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.
• Ruth Simpson Lesbian author, founder of first Lesbian community center
• May Sinclair (1862–1946), English novelist, poet, and short story writer.
• Edith Sitwell (1887–1964), English poet.
• Maj Sjöwall (born 1935), Swedish mystery novelist.
• 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 Smith (1749–1806), English poet and novelist.
• Dodie Smith (1896–1990), English novelist and playwright. I Capture the Castle
• Stevie Smith (1902–1971), English poet and novelist.
• Zadie Smith (born 1975), English novelist.
• Cathy Song (born 1955)
• Susan Sontag (1933–2004), American essayist and novelist.
• Muriel Spark (1918–2006), Scottish novelist. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
• Anne Spencer (1882–1975), American poet.
• Harriet Elizabeth Prescott Spofford (1835–1921), American mystery novelist , poet, and short story writer.
• Johanna Spyri (1827–1901), Swiss children's writer. Heidi
• 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.
• Christina Stead (1902–1983), Australian novelist and short story writer.
• Danielle Steel (born 1947), American romance novelist.
• Gertrude Stein (1874–1946), American novelist, playwright, poet, librettist, and short story writer.
• Joanne Stepaniak Author of several vegan cookbooks and books on veganism
• Maria W. Stewart (1803–1897), American feminist lecturer.
• Mary Stewart (born 1916), English mystery/romance novelist.
• Ruth Stone (born 1915), American poet.
• Alfonsina Storni (1892–1938), Argentinian poet.
• Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811–1836), American novelist. Uncle Tom's Cabin
• Jan Struther (1901–1953), English hymn writer and novelist. Mrs. Miniver
• Svava Jakobsdóttir (1930–2004), Icelandic playwright and short story writer.
• May Swenson (1913–1989), American poet and playwright.
• Magda Szabó (born 1917), Hungarian novelist, poet, playwright. The Door

T

• Amy Tan (born 1952), American novelist. The Joy Luck Club
• Sooni Taraporevala (born 1957), Indian screenwriter and photographer.
• Judith Tarr
• Donna Tartt (born 1963), American novelist.
• Susie Taylor (1848–1912), American teacher and memoir-writer.
• Olena Teliha (1906–1942), Ukrainian poet.
• Teresa of Ávila (1515–1582), Spanish nun, monastic reformer, and mystic.
• Josephine Tey (1896–1952), Scottish mystery novelist.
• thalia (born 1952), Greek-Australian poet.
• Elizabeth Thomas (1770/71–1855), English Gothic novelist and religious poet.
• Tatyana Tolstaya (born 1951), Russian TV presenter, novelist, and essayist.
• Torfhildur Þorsteinsdóttir (1845–1918), Icelandic novelist and short story writer.
• Joanna Trollope (born 1943), English novelist.
• Catherine Trotter (1679–1749), Scots-English novelist, playwright, philosopher, and letterwriter.
• Sojourner Truth (1797–1883), American feminist.
• Marina Tsvetaeva (1892–1941), Russian poet.
• Megan Whalen Turner (born 1965), American fantasy writer.
• Anne Tyler (born 1941), American novelist.
• Taslima Nasreen ,(born 1962) Bangladeshi (bengali) revolutionist writer.

U

• Lesya Ukrainka (1871–1913), Ukrainian poet.
• Sigrid Undset (1882–1949), Norwegian novelist and 1928 Nobel Prize in Literature-winner.
• Jane Urquhart (born 1949), Canadian novelist and poet.
• Kaari Utrio (born 1942), Finnish novelist

V

• Celestine Vaite (born 1966), Tahitian novelist.
• Luisa Valenzuela (born 1938), Argentinian novelist and short story writer.
• Jennifer Vanasco (born 1971), American columnist and journalist
• Yvonne Vera (1964–2005), Zimbabwean novelist.
• Marie-Catherine de Villedieu (1640–1683), French playwright, novelist, and short story writer.
• Yolande Villemaire
• Louise Leveque de Vilmorin (1902–1969), French novelist, poet, and journalist.
• Élisabeth Vonarburg (born 1947), French science fiction novelist.
• Jurgen Vsych (born 1966), American director and screenwriter.

W

• Elizabeth Wagele (born 1939), American author and cartoonist
• Diane Wakoski (born 1937), American poet.
• Alice Walker (born 1944), American novelist, short story writer, and poet. The Color Purple.
• Margaret Walker (1915–1998), American poet and novelist.
• Henriette Walter
• Ania Walwicz (born 1951), Australian poet.
• Gertrude Chandler Warner (1890–1979), American children's writer.
• Susan Warner (1819–1885), American children's writer and songwriter.
• Winifred Elizabeth Young Washburn (born 1917), American poet, author, educator, musician.
• Wendy Wasserstein (1950–2006), American playwright.
• Sarah Waters (born 1966), English novelist.
• Catherine Webb (born 1986), British novelist.
• Simone Weil (1909–1943), French mystic and philosopher.
• Hannah Weiner (1928–1997), American poet.
• Michele Weiner-Davis (born 1952)
• Martha Wells (born 1964), American novelist.
• Eudora Welty (1909–2001), American novelist, short story writer, and photographer.
• 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 journalist.
• 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.
• Ellen White (1827–1915), American evangelist and mystic.
• Isabella Whitney (born c. 1540), English poet.
• Phyllis A. Whitney (born 1903), American mystery novelist.
• Anna Wickham (1884–1947), British 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.
• Amrit Kaur Willis (born 1953), American ??
• Connie Willis (born 1945), American novelist and short story writer.
• Kate Wilhelm (born 1928), American novelist and short story writer.
• Harriet E. Wilson (1825–1900), American novelist.
• Jane Wiseman (c. 1682 – 1717), English poet and playwright.
• Sarah Winnemucca (1841–1891), American lecturer and autobiographer.
• Jeanette Winterson (born 1959), English novelist.
• Monique Wittig (born 1935), French feminist.
• Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797), English novelist and feminist. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
• Nellie Wong (born 1934), Chinese American feminist poet. Dreams in Harrison Railroad Park, and The Death of Long Steam Lady
• 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.
• Judith Wright (born 1915), Australian poet.
• Mary Tappan Wright (1851-1917), American novelist and short story writer.
• Mary Wroth (1587–1652), English poet.
• Elinor Wylie (1885–1928), American poet and novelist.

X

• Xiao Hong (1911–1942), Chinese novelist and short story writer.

Y

• Hisaye Yamamoto (born 1921), Japanese American short-story writer.
• Ann Yearsley (1753–1806), English poet, novelist, and playwright.
• Anzia Yezierska (1883–1970), Polish American novelist and short-story writer.
• Olivia Rudolph Young (1894–1974), American Poet, author and teacher. Poet Laureate of California.
• Banana Yoshimoto (born 1964), Japanese novelist.
• Marguerite Yourcenar (1903–1987), French novelist.
• Yosano Akiko (1878–1942), Japanese poet.

Z

• María de Zayas y Sotomayor (born 1590, date of death unknown), Spanish novelist.
• Zitkala-Sa (1876–1938), American writer.
• Unica Zürn (1916–1970), German poet and painter.
• Fay Zwicky (born 1933), Australian poet and academic.

See also

• Feminist literary criticism
• Feminist science fiction
• Feminist theory
• Gender in science fiction
• List of biographical dictionaries of female writers
• List of early-modern women playwrights (UK)
• List of early-modern women poets (UK)
• List of female detective/mystery writers
• List of female poets
• List of feminist literature
• List of women in Bloomsbury Guide to Women's Literature
• List of female comic writers and artists
• List of female novelists before Jane Austen
• List of female rhetoricians
• List of writers in Who's Who in Contemporary Women's Writing
• Norton Anthology of Literature by Women
• Women in science fiction
• Women science fiction authors
• Women Writers Project
• Women's writing in English

External links

• A Celebration of Women Writers
• SAWNET: The South Asian Women's NETwork Bookshelf
• Victorian Women Writers Project
• Voices from the Gaps: Women Artists and Writers of Color
• The Women Writers Archive: Early Modern Women Writers Online
• SOPHIE: A digital library of works by German-speaking women
• REBRA: A list of women writers from Brazil. Biographies in Portuguese, English, and in Spanish.