"A" women born in February

At the Imaginary Garden with Real Toads this weekend, Kerry spoke of three women, all class A writers, with birthdays in February. As it happens, all their names begin with A: Ayn Rand, Anaïs Nin, and Alice Walker.
For whatever reason, my reading life pretty much bypassed Anaïs Nin, but I remember reading Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged" when I was young and being very impressed. Since then, though, I have realized her philosophy doesn't match mine.
Alice Walker, however, is another story. She's about my age, but has accomplished marvellous things as a women's advocate, civil rights advocate, poet and author. If I grow up, I want to be just like her.

Photo from biography.com

She won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for her novel The Color Purple, of course, and the movie based on the novel was nominated for 11 Academy Awards. But winning is not what Alice Walker is about. She is about writing, yes. However, she also about working to help make the world a better place.
I like that. In my own small way, I have tried to do that, but, according to her official biography "Walker has been an activist all of her adult life, and believes that learning to extend the range of our compassion is activity and work available to all. She is a staunch defender not only of human rights, but of the rights of all living beings. She is one of the world’s most prolific writers, yet tirelessly continues to travel the world to literally stand on the side of the poor, and the economically, spiritually and politically oppressed. She also stands, however, on the side of the revolutionaries, teachers and leaders who seek change and transformation of the world."
That is a philosophy I can understand.

the color purple

broke my heart

and made me proud of women.

the pulitzer prize

made me proud of Alice Walker.

a nobel prize for literature

might make the world

proud of her,

but she has much more

than prizes

and she is much more than those

Kay Davies, February 2, 2014