Five Things: A Few of My Favorite Female Writers

When I heard the news yesterday that author and poet Maya Angelou passed away it made me think of high school and college, and of all the great female writers who influenced my career path. Not too long ago it was still difficult for women to publish books or screenplays, become news anchors on TV (which is what I thought I originally wanted to do!), or work as newspaper or magazine reporters or editors. I studied Journalism in college and took many English lit classes where I was introduced to many of these women who made a mark for themselves and paved the way for the rest of us. As I continue my journey in writing, I continue to be inspired by strong, independent women in the field (If you didn't know already, I work for two awesome women bloggers!). So here is my tribute to Angelou and to a few other female writers who inspire me. 

1. Five Things link up is posted every Thursday at Midnight EST. Share any five things that are on your mind right now. Whether it's something you are obsessing with on Pinterest, a new and exciting event going on in your life, or even sharing five of your favorite books; it's totally up to you. 

2. Please put the Five Things button on the post you're sharing for the link up; sharing is caring, the more players involved the more fun we'll have.

3. Please follow both your hosts Diana from The World Around Her and Tairalyn from Little Miss Mama via Facebook {here and here} and/or Twitter {here and here}. As it’s not mandatory it is greatly appreciated. 

4. If you tweet about your post or Instagram it, feel free to tag me or Tairalyn and use the hashtag, #FiveThingsParty

5. Check out the other bloggers who have linked up, show them some love and comment on at least one other bloggers link-up post.

Shall we get the party started...

1. Maya Angelou was so much more than a writer and a poet; she was an activist, a college professor, a director, actress, and was even nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. She inspired the world with her words and one poem of Angelou's that always stuck with me is "Phenomenal Woman". Because no matter our size, our shape, our color, no matter what, we are all Phenomenal Women. Thank you for leaving your imprint on this world, may you rest in peace. 

2. Toni Morrison's book "Beloved" scared the crap out of me! It's very dark and twisted, but sadly there is truth behind the story of what the main characters went through in the real lives of slaves. The imagery that Morrison's words formed in my mind frightened me. The first time I was introduced to the book I was in high school. My English teacher read it to us and played a few scenes from the film that was inspired by the novel. The second time I was in college and actually read the book myself and realized why we probably weren't allowed to read it ourselves while in high school! From a teenager to a young adult, and now a grown woman, Morrison's book has stayed with me and always will. If you haven't read Beloved, I highly suggest you put it on your Summer reading list, it won Morrison a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and The Nobel Prize in Literature. 

3. You may not recognize her face, but you probably know her name and one or more of her books. The novel that author S.E. Hinton wrote that sits high on my book list is "The Outsiders", which she wrote while she was still in high school in 1967. That's a pretty amazing accomplishment to achieve at 17 years old, which is probably the age I was when I first read and fell in love with her book! Did you know that Hinton played a nurse in the film adaptation of "The Outsiders"? I bet she was pretty excited to play alongside Patrick Swayze, Emilio Estevez, and the rest of the cast! In 1988 she was the first to receive the Margaret Edwards Award, which is given by the American Library Association for authors' outstanding work in young adult literature. 

4. For many of us Elizabeth Gilbert didn't hit the map until we heard about her novel, "Eat, Pray, Love" in 2006, but her first book, "Pilgrims", was actually published almost ten years earlier in 1997. For me, Gilbert's "Eat, Pray, Love" and "Committed: A Love Story" are books that I will always cherish because my husband and I read them together. Yes, they are great reads, but when you can connect a book with a person you love, it makes the book and author even more special and memorable. "Eat, Pray, Love" was published around the time we started dating and "Committed" was released just before we said 'I Do'. So as we were following Gilbert's journey to find herself and find love again, we were on a journey together building our own love story! (AWW...haha!) Right now I'm on a Nicholas Sparks kick but I have her new book, "The Signature of All Things" on my 'books to read' list!

5.  I was a junior in college in 2004 when Emily Giffin's book "Something Borrowed" was published and wasn't really thinking about wedding bells at the time! The title didn't register with me until I heard about the film adaptation years later in 2011. By then Giffin had released four more novels; "Something Blue", "Baby Proof", "Love the One You're With", and "Heart of the Matter". In 2012 I finally got around to picking up my first Giffin book and was immediately hooked! I pre-ordered "Where We Belong"  that Summer and it was on my door step just in time to take to the beach! Her latest release, "The One & Only", just hit bookstores last week. I can't wait to pick up a copy. I was going to pre-order it, but I'm currently reading Sparks' newest novel, "The Longest Ride" and still have Gilbert's newest on my list to purchase, but then again when you're an avid reader your list just keeps getting longer! 

So this was probably a little too wordy, but it is what it is! This list is only short to go along with my link up party, but it does by no means reflect the list of female writers who inspire me. 

There you have it, now it's your turn to link up with us!