6 Female Authors With Strong And Passionate Voices

Women writers use the power of their words, experiences, and observations to shine a light on a variety of issues that impact people around the globe. From crafting personal essays to penning contemporary novels about everyday families, here, in no particular order, are female authors dedicated to creating exciting and authentic prose.

Starting off the list at #1 is Frances Mayes, author of The New York Times bestseller Under the Tuscan Sun, which was turned into a movie starring Diane Lane. Mayes was formerly a professor at San Francisco State University, where she directed The Poetry Center and chaired the Department of Creative Writing.

A widely published poet and essayist, Mayes wrote The Discovery of Poetry: A Field Guide to Reading and Writing Poems, which is frequently used in college classes. Other literary works include Swan, set in her childhood home of Georgia, and Under Magnolia: A Southern Memoir, which revisits her early years. The author and her husband, the poet Edward Mayes, divide their time between North Carolina and Tuscany.

At #2 is Sylvia Day, a New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author. Hailed as one of the most successful romance writers in the world by Fox News, her work has been covered in Time, Variety, Cosmopolitan, and Entertainment Weekly. Her Jax & Gia series was developed into a motion picture by Passionflix, and the editors at Amazon recommended her novel Bared to You as one of 2012's Best of the Year in Romance.

Day travels extensively in conjunction with various speaking engagements. She is a frequent workshop presenter and panelist at events such as the Romance Writers of America's National Convention and Comic-Con. Her work and life are the inspiration for Beyond Words, a digital lifestyle magazine.

Coming in at #3 is Melissa Muldoon, author of the novels Dreaming Sophia, Waking Isabella, and Eternally Artemisia. She is the founder of Studentessa Matta, which promotes the study of Italian language and culture. It has grown to include the podcast Tutti Matti per l'Italiano, as well as a YouTube channel.

Muldoon has a B.A. from Knox College and a master's degree in art history from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. She is the creator of the Matta Italian Language Immersion Programs, which she co-leads with schools in Italy. In addition, she offers Homestay opportunities to reside and study abroad in the private home of a teacher.

Entering the list at #4 is Katie Dalebout, a writer, podcaster, and the founder of LET IT OUT, a community for sharing soft stories that reveal our most vulnerable, tender selves. Her work has been featured in Teen Vogue, Glamour, and The Daily Mail. In 2019, she started Spiraling, a co-hosted anxiety show.

Her book, Let It Out: A Journey Through Journaling, is a collection of personal essays and writing prompts. In Pivot, her monthly column for the publication the fullest, Dalebout writes about how to navigate transitions. She has spoken at Kripalu, Soho House, and The Wing, runs a journaling-based creative clinic, and leads a workshop for independent podcasters.

In the #5 spot is Joanna Trollope, who has been described as one of the most insightful chroniclers and social commentators writing fiction today. Her first books to be published comprised a number of historical novels under the name Caroline Harvey. These were followed by Britannia's Daughters, a study of women in the British Empire, and The Choir, her debut contemporary novel.

After attending the University of Oxford, Trollope joined the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and later became an English teacher. In 2019, The Duke of Cambridge presented her with the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for services to literature. She resides in London.

Finishing up the list at #6 is Molly Gaudry, the founder of Lit Pub and author of the verse novel, We Take Me Apart, which was a finalist for the Asian American Literary Award and shortlisted for the PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award for Poetry. Flavorwire calls the work an "almost visceral delight," while PANK hails it as "pure song and story."

Gaudry holds master's degrees in fiction and poetry, and a PhD in experimental prose. She teaches at the Yale Writers' Workshop and has served as an instructor at both La Europa Academy and Northern Virginia Community College. Her work has appeared in such literary journals as Wigleaf and Keyhole Magazine, and she is the recipient of multiple Boren Awards.