As a team of literature lovers, it occurred to us that we hadn’t spent much time celebrating female poets. So, we will be sharing a Poem of the Week every week on our blog for you to enjoy, and to hopefully discover some lovely poetry you’ll return to again and again, and maybe some new writers too! This week, we’ve …
Our July theme of ecofeminsim has already started a lot of meaningful conversations on consumerism, fast fashion, and how feminism intersects with climate change. We turned to Brighton-based sustainability brand, Revival Collective, to include their beautiful zine inside our Wild Women box for July. We thought it would also be a great insight for you, our lovely subscribers and followers, …
By Becca Bashford This month at Books That Matter, we created a box which sought to encapsulate the beauty, the talent, and the importance of amplifying LGBT+ voices. It’s June, which means Pride season is upon us. Pride is about bringing the experiences of the LGBT+ community to the forefront of our minds and hearts; it’s a time to celebrate …
By Becca Bashford Here at Books That Matter, we passionately believe that literature has the ability to empower and inspire women. This month’s theme, Feminist Dystopia, explores a unique literary genre which goes a step further in its efforts to empower and inspire – in fact, it leaps into the world of politics and activism. The startling rise in the …
This is a blog post we didn’t expect to be writing in Feminist Dystopia month. As you’re probably aware, anti-abortion laws have recently been passed in Alabama and Georgia in the US, with Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Ohio now following suit. We are, of course, already aware of the same conditions in place for people in Northern Ireland, and this …
By Molly Masters The raw and violent depictions of violence against women in the serialisation of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale was enough to make viewers look away. However, the book, and indeed the TV series alike, were based on Atwood’s actual research of reproductive violence across the world. As uncomfortable and troubling the subject matter may seem, and overwhelming …
By Becca Bashford “My strongest desire through life has been to be educated. I found the most exquisite pleasure in reading and as we had no library, I read every book which came in my way, and I longed for more.” Sarah Parker Remond, June 1861 It’s no secret that the triumphs and achievements of many women, particularly black women, …
By Riziki Millanzi In 1995, Octavia E Butler became the first Science-Fiction writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship, unofficially nicknamed in America the ‘Genius Grant’. During her life, she won not only one or two, but multiple Hugo and Nebula awards. Butler’s writing has paved the way for Black women writers. From Nnedi Okorafor who was told to ‘stay away …
It’s Black Women’s History Month, and we need to get to work. Follow these amazing women to learn more about destabilising racism in our communities and how we can further support black women. Rachel Cargle is a writer and lecturer “building an intellectual legacy by storytelling, public teaching, and critical discourse”. She uses her social media platform to discuss toxic …
By Joanne Norris Their Eyes Were Watching God could so easily have never reached us. Falling into obscurity, forgotten a little more each day as its original readership drops off and its pages are left unturned. But what would we do without stories like this? How would our lives be different by not having access to this work? Each time …
