Adrienne Rich
Adrienne Cecile Rich (/ˈædriən/ AD-ree-ən; May 16, 1929 – March 27, 2012) was an American poet, essayist and feminist. She was called "one of the most widely read and influential poets of the second half of the 20th century", and was credited with bringing "the oppression of women and lesbians to the forefront of poetic discourse". Rich criticized rigid forms of feminist identities, and valorized what she coined the "lesbian continuum", which is a female continuum of solidarity and creativity that impacts and fills women's lives.
Adrienne Rich | |
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Rich in 1980 | |
| Born | Adrienne Cecile Rich May 16, 1929 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | March 27, 2012 (aged 82) Santa Cruz, California, U.S. |
| Occupation |
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| Education | Harvard University (BA) |
| Genre | Poetry, non-fiction |
| Notable works | Diving Into the Wreck and The Trees |
| Notable awards | National Book Award 1974 Bollingen Prize 2003 Griffin Poetry Prize 2010 |
| Spouse | |
| Partner | Michelle Cliff (1976–2012) |
| Children | 3 |
Her first collection of poetry, A Change of World, was selected by icon W. H. Auden for the Yale Series of Younger Poets Award. Auden went on to write the introduction to the book. Rich famously declined the National Medal of Arts to protest House Speaker Newt Gingrich's vote to end funding for the National Endowment for the Arts.