Born in New Spain (now Mexico) in 1651, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz was a nun who wrote what is considered the first feminist manifesto. She was revered as a prodigy during her lifetime, and was one of the most widely published writers of the period.

The illegitimate child of a creole woman and a Spanish captain, Juana came from a poor family. She was raised in the country in the home of her mother’s father. At the age of three, Juana followed her sister to a girls’ school and begged to be taught to read. She soon began devouring the books of the grandfather’s library, reading everything she could get her hands on.

Juana had an insatiable appetite for knowledge, … Read More »

Nana Asma’u (1793-1863) was a princess, poet, and teacher, and is considered the precursor to modern feminism in Africa. She had such an impact of the education of women, that in Nigeria today, many Islamic women’s organisations, schools, and meeting halls are named after her.

Nana was a member of the Fodio clan who ruled the Sokoto Caliphate in modern-day Nigeria. Her family was part of a fundamental Islamic sect, known as the Qadiriyya, who focused on the pursuit of knowledge as a spiritual path.

She had an excellent education from a young age. She learned all the Islamic classics, memorized the entire Qur’an, and was fluent in four languages: Arabic, the Fula language, Hausa and Tamacheq Tuareg. She wrote poetry in the first three, … Read More »

Enheduanna (2285-2250 BCE) was an Akkadian princess as well as High Priestess of the Moon god Nanna. She was one of the earliest women in history whose name is known. She is regarded by literary and historical scholars as possibly the earliest known author and poet of either gender. Her works were written in cuneiform about 4300 years ago.

Enheduana is a title she was given when she was ordained as “en” priestess; her birth name isn’t known.

Although her official title was “en” (high-priestess) to the god Nanna, she appears to have been passionate about the goddess Inanna as well. Of her five recovered works, two are long hymns to Inanna:

My Lady, Your greatness is manifest,
May your heart for my sake ‘return to its place’!
Your great deeds are unparalleled,
Your greatness … Read More »

Lady Anne Clifford, (1590–1676) was the only surviving child of George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland and his wife Lady Margaret Russell, daughter of Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford. In 1605, she became the 14th Baroness de Clifford in her own right, and hereditary High Sheriff of Westmorland.

When her father died in 1605, she succeeded to the title of Baroness Clifford, but her father had willed his earldom and estates to his brother Francis Clifford, 4th Earl of Cumberland. Starting at the age of only 15, she became involved in a long and complex legal battle to obtain the family estates, instead of the £15,000 her father had willed to her.

Because her marriage to her first husband (Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl of Dorset) was … Read More »

That dark dweller in Braj
Is my only refuge.
O my companion, worldly comfort is an illusion,
As soon you get it, it goes.
I have chosen the indestructible for my refuge,
Him whom the snake of death will not devour.
My beloved dwells in my heart all day,
I have actually seen that abode of joy.
Meera’s lord is Hari, the indestructible.
My lord, I have taken refuge with you, your maidservant

Meerabai (also called Meera Bai, Meera, or Mira) was a Hindu mystical singer and a princess. About 1,300 prayerful songs or “bhajans” and Hindi poems attributed to her are popular throughout India and have been published in several translations worldwide. She is one of the most well-known Indian poets in history.

At a very young age, Mirabai (1498-1547) fell in love with an iconic idol of the god … Read More »