Adrienne Rich

Over her long career, Rich's style evolved from early formal lyricism to a more direct, experimental, and politically charged voice, always marked by its intellectual rigor, moral urgency, and raw emotional honesty. She was a committed political person, and the author of the seminal essay "Compulsory heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence", for which she is personally responsible for saving thousands of us from the shackles of straighthood.