Seven women writers you should read on Medium — and a bonus.
There are some kick-arse female writers here and if you haven’t come across them yet, you’re seriously missing out. But fear not, I’m here to help you.
What I love about Medium is the diversity of voices. You don’t have to dig very deep to find people whose points of view are silenced or overlooked (which amounts to the former pretty much) in mainstream media.
The first five women on my list represent exactly that — voices of dissent that make others feel uncomfortable, ashamed or taken aback. Unless you’re open-minded — then they make you pause and re-think some stuff.
1. Your Fat Friend
She writes about the daily struggles of a very fat person in the world that seems to be cut out for slimmer people. It’s personal, honest, painful, witty — and humbling for the reader.
2. Rachel Anne Williams
A super-brainy woman who writes about diverse subjects from the philosophical perspective. As a trans and queer woman and a philosopher who opted out of the academia, she is the one to read when you’re up for some serious thinking time.
3. Ezinne Ukoha
She doesn’t pull any punches and unapologetically tackles race issues head-on. And as a Black American and a woman on the top of it, she has a first hand experience of the stuff she’s talking about. Does she make me uncomfortable from time to time? Hell, yeah, in the end I am a White woman and make no mistake — if you are a White woman too, you’ll get punched as well but in a constructive and respectful way. (Also, I love Ezinne’s poetic series).
4. Lecia Michelle 📃
Alongside Ezinne, she is my go-to person to learn from about the struggles of Women of Colour. And the stories she tells scare the shit out of me, mostly because they feature a lot of fatal gun wounds whose recipients are predominantly Black. I’m European, I don’t walk around thinking that someone next to me can be shot dead for allegedly nicking a can of soft drink. This is the kind of writing that adds to my long list of reasons why I don’t necessarily want to set foot on the US soil.
5. A.S.
She hasn’t written that much on Medium yet but what’s there is powerful. It’s hard not to admire the openness with which she speaks about her mental health struggles. Not surprisingly, she already came under very personal attack from one of the readers and responded with grace and tact many wouldn’t be able to muster.
The next two women I love to read for other reasons — they simply touched on something that is close to my heart.
6. Sparky
Hers is a raw, honest writing I can really relate to. I haven’t read everything she published on Medium and her blog yet but EVERYTHING is on my reading list. Also, she lives in a campervan — and it’s my dream I haven’t had enough guts to follow yet so I see a lot of inspiration coming from this writer.
7. Hazel Clementine
I saw her by-line and immediately clicked “follow”. She writes about books and there’s nothing more beautiful than that. (Except for dogs.) So yeah, read Hazel.
Bonus
If you are up for more kick-arse women authors, the very publication you are reading this article in — Permaculture Women Magazine — has over 40 brilliant writers who share their thoughts and knowledge on the whole range of subjects, including permaculture, sustainability, feminism, social and environmental justice, to name just a few. Happy reading!
And if you have some other favourite women writers, don’t keep the secret to yourself — share it in comments.
