Feminist Writing by Women from around the World

Asja BakićMarsTranslated by Jennifer ZobleFeminist Press, 2019

With imaginative and striking prose, Bosnian author Asja Bakić’s debut story collection, Mars, tells a tale of a series of different universes. Each realist tale provides an image of twenty-first-century feminist values and promises.

Duanwad PimwaniArid DreamsTranslated by Mui PoopoksakulFeminist Press, 2019

Thai poet, author, and journalist Duanwad Pimwani showcases thirteen stories of Thailand’s middle class in her new collection, Arid Dreams. The stories provide a critique of and insight into class status and gender roles within a changing country, where each character yearns for something more.

Claudia D. HernándezKnitting the FogFeminist Press, 2019

Combining narrative essay and bilingual poetry, Guatemalan writer Claudia D. Hernández’s debut memoir, Knitting the Fog, showcases a powerful story of self- discovery. When Claudia wakes up to find her mother gone, she is left with her two older sisters to be taken care of by her great-aunt and grandmother in Los Angeles. Three years later, her mother returns to make a journey to El Norte. Feeling caught between two worlds, Claudia feels she doesn’t belong. The story portrays a difficult struggle for discovery and identity that relates to the topic of immigration today.

Suzette Haden ElginNative TongueFeminist Press, 2019

Suzette Haden Elgin’s classic 1984 sci-fi feminist novel has been republished for newer generations to explore. This dystopian trilogy begins in the year 2205. The nineteenth amendment has been repealed, and men have absolute power. Women create a new language to lead their resistance to free them from men’s control.

Sara StridsbergValerieTranslated by Deborah Bragan-TurnerFarrar, Straus and Giroux, 2019

Originally published in 2006, Swedish author Sara Stridsberg makes her US debut with the novel Valerie. Valerie imagines the story of radical feminist writer Valerie Solanas. Stridsberg follows Solanas’s life from her childhood, to her attempt to assassinate Andy Warhol, to, ultimately, her death. Through her imaginative writing, Stridsberg gives Solanas a strong though sometimes heartbreaking voice.

Dina NayeriThe Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell YouCatapult, 2019

Iranian American author Dina Nayeri traces her personal story of being a refugee and immigrant who came to the United States in The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You. Along with her story, she features other refugees she has met along the way, providing insight on refugee life and shedding new light on the conversation regarding refugee experiences.