“In all societies, women are in double jeopardy; on the one hand we are expected to conform to certain emotional standards in our relationships with others at the penalty of being declared insane; on the other, our political perceptions are labeled "irrational" and "hysterical.”

American poet, essayist and feminist

Adrienne Rich was an American poet, essayist, and feminist. She was known as one of the most widely read and influential poets of the second half of the 20th century. Her work brought the oppression of women and lesbians into the center of poetic discussion. She also challenged rigid ideas of identity within feminism, arguing for a feminism that could change and remain open, and she drew attention to the long current of solidarity and creativity among women, which she called the lesbian continuum.