Each student prepares an oral report on the writer, makes a poster representing her life and work, and participates in a college-wide reading of a selection from her work. I give them a list from Literary Women by Ellen Moers of hundreds of writers from across the centuries and the continents, including those of Japanese, Native American, African American and other ancestries. To allow them to focus on lesser-known writers, I cross out famous names like May Sarton, Gloria Steinem and Simone de Beauvoir. Since the Internet can be an electronic key to a hidden treasure, students become very animated by the quest. However, they find that it is not easy to track down lost writers.
Materials are often hard to locate, and information about the authors is scant.
As the search can become frustrating, this assignment works best when carefully guided. Each week, I check in about what the students have discovered. Difficult as it may be, the search is a valuable learning experience. Students are amazed at how many women s works are out of print. It is amazing to rediscover these women who faced almost insurmountable obstacles throughout their writing careers.