“We may feel bitterly how little our poems can do in the face of seemingly out of control technological power and seemingly limitless corporate greed, yet it has always been true that poetry can break isolation, show us to ourselves when we are outlawed or made invisible, remind us of beauty where no beauty seems possible, remind us kinship where all is represented as separation.", The Nation, October 7, 1996)”

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.