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 Born to Write
 A Blog by Author Amy Hill Hearth
 
 
 

On Being Labeled a "Woman" Author

I've noticed that Wikipedia has decided to put my Wiki bio in four separate categories. The first is "1958 births." Well, thanks a lot Wikipedia! (Just kidding - the year of my birth is all over the Internet anyway, thanks to Contemporary Authors and other sources.) The second category is "Living people." Well, that's always good to know! What a relief! The third category is "American novelists." Can't argue with that one. Lastly, I'm in a list of "American feminist writers." Well, that's interesting, although I think my work is more humanist than feminist. During the twenty years I've been writing books, I've had to get used to being categorized as a "woman author" who writes "women's books." There are times when it irks me a bit, because it seems like a throwback to the era of Louisa May Alcott. Yes, I am a woman. Yes, I am an author. Yes, most of my books - nonfiction as well as fiction - have a female point-of-view. But the rebellious side of me looks forward to a day when an author is not categorized by her gender (or race, or religion). In the meantime, if you think I'm being picky, imagine a category called "man authors" who are defined as people who write "men's books."
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