“Some women get erased a little at a time, some all at once. Some reappear. Every woman who appears wrestles with the forces that would have her disappear. She struggles with the forces that would tell her story for her, or write her out of the story, the genealogy, the rights of man, the rule of law. The ability to tell your own story, in words or images, is already a victory, already a revolt.”

Rebecca Solnit, Men Explain Things to Me

“You must know the width of the knife and how it ruined you, name the organs it kissed.”

Olivia Gatwood, Life of the Party

“You must know the width of the knife and how it ruined you, name the organs it kissed.”

Olivia Gatwood, Life of the Party

“Surely more than just the actions of people: choosing, yielding, braving, lying, understanding, being right, being deceived, being consistent, being visionary, being reckless, being cruel, being mistaken, being original, being afraid. . .”

Susan Sontag, The Volcano Lover