Oh! I still have a little bit of time in #Internationalwomensday, don't I? Some of the *great* sf/f writers are/were women.

I just spoke in another thread of CJ Cherryh's extraordinary skill at exposition in fiction.

But there are plenty more.

Andre Norton lit my youth, and is probably the oldest exemplar I know of.

Zilpha Keatley Snyder was there, too, with delightful tween-level fantasy, especially _Black and Blue Magic_.

Nora *fucking* Jemisin has won, so far, *three* Hugo Best Novel awards, two of them back to back, one for each book in the Broken Earth trilogy.

Ann Leckie's creations are universally regarded as top-notch sf.

Elizabeth Moon, with hard sf in usually military settings.

Octavia Butler was basically a god.

Martha Wells is big these days cuz of the MurderBot books, but her backlist is fantastic.

Ursula Leguin, who I think might have been the first female sf/f author I ever read whose name made it clear she was female, is, of course, *legendary*.

Arkady Martine has done some truly impressive work, esp. _A Desolation Called Peace_.

There are also writers who don't specialize in sf/f, but who have written there:

Margaret Atwood's _Oryx and Crake_ stands out.

As does Mary Doria Russell's *stunning* _Sparrow_ duology. (Be prepared to feel sad.)

The list goes on and on and on:

Charlie Jane Anders,
Tamsyn Muir,
Connie Willis,
Mira Grant,
Mary Robinette Kowal,
Lois McMaster Bujold,
Joan Vinge,
Nancy Kress

I am *certainly* forgetting many names I should not, but I am old and tired and working from memory.

Women have written some of the best sf/f of all time.

If you want to recommend others, just reply. We could all use a good list of women who've written sf/f on #internationalwomensday !

@GeePawHill oh boy, where to start…

Diane Duane
Jo Clayton
Carole Nelson Douglas
Ru Emerson
Barbara Hambly
Katharine Kerr
Katherine Kurtz
Mercedes Lackey
Anne McCaffrey
Robin McKinley
Patricia McKillop
Diana Paxson
Melanie Rawn
Jennifer Roberson
Midori Snyder
Sherri S Tepper
Deborah Turner Harris
Rebecca Yarros

@wndxlori

OMG... Is that _your_ wall? I _literally_ put my hand on my chest and gasped.

I'm so jealous! <3

@GeePawHill

@401matthall @GeePawHill I’ve been collecting books since I was 10. About 10% of these are my husband’s paperbacks, mostly SF.

@wndxlori

<3 Seriously, that's _lovely_. I've had several decent collection that I've parted with for one reason or another over the years and I'm _so_ close to starting again.

@GeePawHill

@401matthall @GeePawHill I guess I should continue that almost all of rest of the books are my SF/F collection. And don’t be fooled by the cupboard doors. Of course there’s more books behind those.

@wndxlori

<sigh> That all brings me a profound sense of joy.

This just reminds me how much I _miss_ having my own collection.

Thanks so _much_ for sharing!

@GeePawHill

@401matthall @GeePawHill
You’re most welcome. You probably wouldn’t be surprised to find out how many realtors have been completely exasperated with me over the years, as I needed to find new homes with adequate wall space for my bookshelves. They’ve spent too many years languishing in basements, and I’m so happy to finally have them all on display in our main living space.

@wndxlori

I'll be honest the concern with _moving_ and _displaying_ my first hobby is a big part of my hesitation. <3

@GeePawHill

@401matthall @GeePawHill and your first hobby is? (Guessing… Lego?)

@wndxlori

Oh, no ma'am, I meant reading.

It's my number one, the other thing I do with my free time is video games (but nerdy ones... Not ones the kids like. (Rimworld, Crusader Kings 3, games that run on systems that can be tinkered with.)

This whole thread has just made me realize how much I miss having physical books around. The literal texture and smell of the paper and the lignin... Whew. Wild nostalgia.

@GeePawHill