Lista kan mga babaeng parasurat

Ini an mga lista kan mga bistadong babaeng parasurat na igwang pahina sa Wikipedia.

Hilngon man an indibidwal na lista kan ma babaeng parasurat kada nasyonalidad 

A

• Karen Aabye (1904–1982), Danish novelist, travel writer and essayist
• Jane Aamund (1936–2019), Danish journalist and novelist
• Eleanor Hallowell Abbott (1872–1958), US poet and fiction writer
• Rachel Abbott, pen name of Sheila Rodgers (born c. 1953), English thriller author
• Louise Abeita (1926–2014), Native US Isleta Pueblo writer; I am a Pueblo Indian Girl
• Sara Aboobacker (born 1936), Indian Kannada writer
• Marguerite Abouet (born 1971), Ivorian graphic novelist
• Leila Aboulela (born 1964), Sudanese writer; The Translator
• Abiola Abrams (born 1976), US TV host, art filmmaker and author; Dare
• Umayya Abu-Hanna (born 1961), Palestinian-Finnish writer, journalist and politician
• Anna Maria Achenrainer (1909–1972), Austrian writer
• Kathy Acker (1947–1997), US novelist, poet, essayist and playwright; Blood and Guts in High School
• Eliza Acton (1799–1859), English cookbook writer and poet; Modern Cookery for Private Families
• Juliette Adam (1836–1936), French author and magazine editor
• Abigail Adams (1744–1818), former First Lady of the United States, letter writer and diarist
• Sarah Fuller Flower Adams (1805–1848), English poet and lyricist; Nearer, My God, to Thee
• Gil Adamson (born 1961), Canadian novelist, short story writer and poet
• Fleur Adcock (born 1935), New Zealand-born English poet and editor
• Sade Adeniran (living), Nigerian novelist
• Caroline Adderson (born 1963), Canadian fiction writer
• Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ (born 1988), Nigerian novelist
• Yda Addis (1857–1902), US writer and translator
• Kim Addonizio (born 1954), US poet, novelist
• Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (born 1977), Nigerian fiction writer; Purple Hibiscus
• Renata Adler (born 1938), US author, journalist and film critic
• Sophie Adlersparre (1823–1895), Swedish feminist, editor and writer; Home Review
• Aesara of Lucania (4th or 3rd century BC), Greek philosopher
• Patience Agbabi (born 1965), British poet
• Charlotte Agell (born 1959), Swedish-US novelist and children's writer
• Kelli Russell Agodon (born 1969), US poet, writer, and editor
• Gerty Agoston (living), Hungarian-US playwright and novelist
• Grace Aguilar (1816–1847), English novelist and writer on Jewish history and religion
• Delmira Agustini (1886–1914), Uruguayan poet
• Freda Ahenakew (1932–2011), Canadian author and academic
• Catharina Ahlgren (1734 – c. 1800), Swedish feminist writer, poet and editor
• Ilse Aichinger (1921–2016), Austrian writer
• Ama Ata Aidoo (born 1942), Ghanaian author and playwright
• Naja Marie Aidt (born 1963), Danish poet, novelist and screenwriter; Strings
• Joan Aiken (1924–2004), English novelist; The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
• Lucy Aikin (1781–1864), English historical writer
• Tobiloba Ajayi (living), Nigerian writer, lawyer and social campaigner
• Miriam Akavia (1927–2015), Polish-born Israeli writer and translator
• Grace Akello (born 1950), Ugandan poet, essayist, folklorist
• Anna Åkerhjelm (1647–1693), Swedish writer and traveller
• Rachel Akerman (1522–1544), Austrian Jewish poet writing in German
• Sonja Åkesson (1926–1977), Swedish poet, writer, and artist
• Bella Akhmadulina (1937–2010), Russian-Soviet poet
• Anna Akhmatova (1899–1966), Russian-Soviet poet; Requiem
• Mirra Alfassa, also known as The Mother (1878–1973), French mystic and writer
• Layla al-Akhyaliyya (7th century), Arab poet
• Susanna Alakoski (born 1962), Finnish-Swedish novelist, social worker and lecturer; Svinalängorna
• Outi Alanne (born 1967), Finnish sadomasochist writer
• Anne-Marie Albiach (1937–2012), French poet and translator
• Alice Albinia (born 1976), English journalist and non-fiction author; Empires of the Indus
• Jordie Albiston (born 1961), Australian poet and academic
• Aurora de Albornoz (1926–1990), Spanish poet
• Mary Alcock (c. 1742–1798), English poet, essayist, and philanthropist
• Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888), US novelist; Little Women
• Isabella Macdonald Alden (1841–1930), US children's writer
• Julia Carter Aldrich (1834–1924), US author
• Claribel Alegría (1924–2018), Nicaraguan-born author and poet
• Elizabeth Alexander (born 1962), US poet, essayist and playwright
• Eva Alexanderson (1911–1994), Swedish writer, translator and publisher
• Svetlana Alexievich (born 1948), Belarusian investigative journalist and non-fiction writer; 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature
• Edna Alford (born 1947), Canadian short story writer and literary editor
• Monica Ali (born 1967), Bangladeshi-English novelist and essayist
• Laila al-Juhani (born 1969), Saudi Arabian fiction writer
• Zaynab Alkali (born 1950), Nigerian novelist, poet, short story writer
• Al-Khansā (7th century), Arab poet
• Hannah Allen (born 1638), English writer
• Isabel Allende (born 1942), Chilean-US novelist; Eva Luna, Daughter of Fortune
• Phyllis Shand Allfrey (1908–1996), West Indian writer; The Orchid House
• Svetlana Alliluyeva (1926–2011), Soviet writer and lecturer
• Margery Allingham (1904–1966), English crime writer; Mystery Mile, Sweet Danger
• Dorothy Allison (born 1949), US writer and speaker; Trash: Short Stories, Cavedweller
• Eunice Eloisae Gibbs Allyn (born 1847), US letter-writer, author and poet
• Wallada bint al-Mustakfi (1001–1080), Andalusian poet writing in Arabic
• Marianne Alopaeus (1918–2014), Finnish existentialist, novelist and essayist
• Mor Altshuler (born 1957), Israeli scholar and writer
• Julia Álvarez (born 1950), Dominican-US poet, novelist and essayist; How the García Girls Lost Their Accents
• María Álvarez de Guillén (pen name Amari Zalvera, 1889–1980), Salvadoran novelist
• Moniza Alvi (born 1954), Pakistani-British poet and writer
• Barbro Alving (1909–1987), Swedish feminist, journalist and writer
• Fanny Alving (1874–1955), Swedish novelist
• Karin Alvtegen (born 1965), Swedish crime novelist; Shame
• Ifi Amadiume (born 1947), Nigerian poet, anthropologist and essayist
• Catherine d'Amboise (1475–1550), French writer and poet
• Elizabeth Frances Amherst (c. 1716–1779), English poet and naturalist
• Valerie Anand (born 1937), British author of historical fiction
• Annemette Kure Andersen (born 1962), Danish poet and literary editor
• Marguerite Andersen (born 1924), German-Canadian writer, editor and academic
• Ethel Anderson (1883–1958), Australian poet, novelist and painter
• Jessica Anderson (1916–2010), Australian fiction writer; The Impersonators
• Laurie Halse Anderson (born 1961), US writer for children and young adults; Speak
• Rachel Anderson (born 1943), English journalist and children's and young adult fiction author
• Verily Anderson (1915–2010), English children's fiction author, biographer and screenwriter
• Gail Anderson-Dargatz (born 1963), Canadian novelist, The Cure for Death by Lightning
• Pamela Andersson (born 1965), Swedish journalist
• Isabella Andreini (1562–1604), Italian playwright, poet and actress
• Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen (1919–2004), Portuguese poet and writer
• Eliza Frances Andrews (1840–1931), US novelist and Civil War writer
• Marie Louise Andrews (1849–1891), US short story writer, journalist and co-founder of Western Association of Writers from Indiana
• Harriet Anena (living), Ugandan poet and journalist
• Maya Angelou (1928–2014), US autobiographer and poet; I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
• Jane Anger (late 16th century), English writer
• Christine Angot (born 1959), French novelist and playwright
• María Nsué Angüe (born 1945), Equatorial Guinean writer
• Marion Angus (1865–1946), Scottish poet writing in Braid Scots and English
• Yu Anjin (born 1941), Korean poet and essayist
• Nini Roll Anker (1873–1942), Norwegian novelist and playwright; Den som henger i en tråd
• Charlotte Anley (1796–1893), English novelist, social and religious writer and musician
• Núria Añó (born 1973), Catalan writer and novelist
• Manana Antadze (born 1945), Georgian writer and translator
• Gloria E. Anzaldúa (1942–2004), US author, poet and activist; Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza
• Monica Arac de Nyeko (born 1979), Ugandan writer of short fiction, poetry and essays
• Tullia d'Aragona (c. 1510–1556), Italian poet, author and philosopher
• Maria Arbatova (born 1957), Russian novelist, playwright and poet
• Elvia Ardalani (born 1963), Mexican writer, poet and storyteller
• Jane Arden (1927–1982), Welsh film director, playwright and novelist; The Party
• Hannah Arendt (1906–1975), German Jewish political theorist The Human Condition
• Harriett Ellen Grannis Arey (1819–1901), US author, editor and publisher
• Héloïse d'Argenteuil (c. 1101–1164), French scholar and abbess writing in Latin
• Hiro Arikawa (born 1972), Japanese light novelist
• Rae Armantrout (born 1947), US writer, language poet and academic; 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
• Karen Armstrong (born 1944), English writer on comparative religion; A History of God
• Kelley Armstrong (born 1968), Canadian writer; Women of the Otherworld series
• Louise Armstrong (1937–2008), US author and feminist
• Bettina von Arnim (1785–1859), German writer and novelist
• Elizabeth von Arnim (1866–1941), Australian-born British novelist; Mr. Skeffington
• Elizabeth Arnold (born 1944), English children's writer
• Joanne Arnott (born 1960), Canadian Métis writer
• Harriette Arnow (1908–1986), US novelist
• Franciszka Arnsztajnowa (1865–1942), Polish poet, playwright and translator
• Tuuve Aro (born 1973), Finnish fiction writer, film critic and producer
• Stina Aronson (1892–1956), Swedish novelist
• Marina Arrate (born 1957), Chilean poet and clinic psychologist
• Renée Ferrer de Arréllaga (born 1944), Paraguayan poet and novelist
• Pat Arrowsmith, English novelist and politician
• Suzanne Arruda, US mystery novelist
• Inga Arvad (1913–1973), Danish-US journalist
• Daisy Ashford (1881–1972), English writer; The Young Visiters
• Anastasia Ashman (born 1964), US author and cultural producer; Tales from the Expat Harem
• Francis Leslie Ashton (1904–1994), English novelist
• Anne Askew (1520/1521–1546), English poet and Protestant martyr
• Marie Aspioti (1909–2000), Greek writer and poet
• Cynthia Asquith (1887–1960), English novelist and diarist
• Margot Asquith (1864–1945), English author
• Mary Astell (1666–1731), English feminist writer and rhetorician
• Thea Astley (1925–2004), Australian fiction writer; also some poetry
• Cassandra Atherton (living), Australian prose-poet and academic
• Gertrude Atherton (1857–1948), US writer
• Eleanor Stackhouse Atkinson (1863–1942), US author, journalist and teacher
• Kate Atkinson (born 1951), English novelist; Behind the Scenes at the Museum, Human Croquet
• M. E. Atkinson (1899–1974, Mary Evelyn Atkinson), English children's novelist
• Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (born 1984), US novelist
• Margaret Atwood (born 1939), Canadian novelist, poet and critic; The Handmaid's Tale
• Sefi Atta (born 1964), Nigerian author and playwright
• Madeleine de l’Aubespine (1546–1596), French poet
• Penelope Aubin (c. 1679–c. 1731), English novelist and translator
• Dorothy Auchterlonie (1915–1991), English-born Australian academic, literary critic and poet
• Aude (1947–2012), Canadian fiction writer
• Ashley Audrain (born 1982), Canadian novelist
• Jean M. Auel (born 1936), US novelist; Earth's Children series
• Madame d'Aulnoy (c. 1650s–1705), French writer of fairy tales
• Rose Ausländer (1901–1988), Bucovina-born poet writing in German and English
• Jane Austen (1775–1817), English novelist; Pride and Prejudice
• Mary Austin (1868–1934), US writer The Land of Little Rain
• Sarah Austin (1793–1867), English translator from German
• Violeta Autumn (1930–2012), Peruvian-born US architect and cookery author
• Auvaiyar, name shared by several poets in Tamil literature
• Frau Ava (c. 1060–1127), first female writer in German
• Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda (1814–1873), Cuban novelist, playwright and poet; Sab
• Catharine Hitchcock Tilden Avery (1844–1911), US author, editor, educator
• Victoria Aveyard (born 1990), US YA fantasy writer; Red Queen
• Magdalena Avietėnaitė (1892–1984), Lithuanian journalist
• Teresa of Ávila (1515–1582), Spanish nun, monastic reformer, and mystic
• Margaret Avison (1918–2007), Canadian poet, editor and speaker
• Mona Awad (born 1978), Canadian fiction writer
• Marilou Awiakta (born 1936), Native US Cherokee author
• Celine Axelos (1902–1992), Egyptian poet, public speaker
• Majgull Axelsson (born 1947), Swedish journalist and novelist; April Witch
• Elysa Ayala (1879–1956), Ecuadorian writer and painter
• Margaret Ayer (died 1981), US writer and illustrator
• Pam Ayres (born 1947), English poet, songwriter and radio and TV presenter
• Che Husna Azhari (born 1955), Malaysian writer

B

• Mariama Bâ (1929–1981), Senegalese novelist; So Long a Letter
• Alaviyya Babayeva (1921–2014), prose-writer, translator and publicist
• Natalie Babbitt (born 1932), US author and illustrator of children's books; Tuck Everlasting
• Ingrid Bachér (born 1930), German playwright and screenwriter
• Ingeborg Bachmann (1926–1973), Austrian poet, playwright and novelist
• Delia Bacon (1811–1859), US playwright and fiction writer; work on Shakespeare authorship question
• Anita Rau Badami (born 1961), Indian-Canadian novelist; The Hero's Walk
• Gabeba Baderoon (born 1969), South African poet
• Yaba Badoe (born 1955), Ghanaian-British novelist and filmmaker
• Enid Bagnold (1889–1981), British author and playwright; National Velvet
• Elisaveta Bagryana (1893–1991), Bulgarian poet
• Joanna Baillie (1762–1851), Scottish poet and dramatist
• Alice Bailey (1880–1949), English mystic
• Florence Augusta Merriam Bailey (1863–1948), US ornithologist
• Beryl Bainbridge (1932–2010), English novelist; The Bottle Factory Outing
• Doreen Baingana (living), Ugandan short-story writer and editor
• Elizabeth-Irene Baitie (born 1970), Ghanaian writer of young adult fiction
• Deb Baker (born 1953), US mystery writer
• Dorothy Baker (1907–1968), US novelist; Young Man with a Horn
• Albena Bakratcheva (born 1961), Bulgarian author, best known for work on US Transcendentalism
• Asma El Bakry (1947–2015), Egyptian film director and author
• Kristín Marja Baldursdóttir (born 1949), Icelandic novelist
• Faith Baldwin (1893–1978), US author of romance and fiction
• Rabia Balkhi (10th century), Persian poet
• Toni Cade Bambara (1939–1995), US author, social activist and college professor
• Mary Ellen Bamford (1857–1946), US author
• Consort Ban (Ban Jieyu, Lady Pan, c. 48–c. 6 BC), Chinese scholar and poet
• Linda Vero Ban (born 1976), Hungarian writer on Jewish identity and spirituality
• Ellen Banda-Aaku (born 1965), Zambian writer of fiction and children's books
• Helen Elliott Bandini (1854–1912), US writer; primarily on Californian history
• Mary Jo Bang (born 1946), US poet
• Zsuzsa Bánk (born 1965), German novelist
• Leslie Esdaile Banks (born 1959), US author; The Vampire Huntress Legend Series
• Maya Banks (living), US author of erotic romance
• Anne Bannerman (1765–1829), Scottish poet
• Helen Bannerman (1862–1946), Scottish children's writer; Little Black Sambo
• Agnieszka Baranowska (1819–1890), Polish playwright and poet
• Natalya Baranskaya (1908–2004), Soviet writer; A Week Like Any Other
• Anna Laetitia Barbauld (1743–1825), English poet, essayist and children's author; Eighteen Hundred and Eleven
• Muriel Barbery (born 1969), French novelist and academic; The Elegance of the Hedgehog
• Maria Tore Barbina (1940–2007), Italian poet and translator, Latin educator
• Florence L. Barclay (1862–1921), English fiction writer; The Rosary
• Leigh Bardugo (born 1974), US young adult and fantasy author
• Joan Barfoot (born 1946), Canadian novelist
• Arvède Barine (1840–1908), French writer and historian
• Susan Barker (born 1978), novelist
• Nicola Barker (born 1966), English fiction writer
• Pat Barker (born 1943), English novelist; 1995 Booker Prize; Regeneration trilogy
• Anna Barkova (1901–1976), Soviet poet, playwright and fiction and non-fiction writer
• Jane Barlow (1856–1917), Irish novelist and poet
• Mary Barnard (1909–2001), US poet, biographer and Greek-to-English translator
• Annie Maria Barnes (born 1857), US journalist, editor, author
• Djuna Barnes (1892–1982), US writer; Ladies Almanack, Nightwood
• Margaret Ayer Barnes (1886–1967), Pulitzer Prize-winning US author; Years of Grace
• Evangeline Barongo (living), Ugandan author of children's literature
• Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr (1831–1919), British novelist
• Emma Barrandeguy (1914–2006), Argentine poet, storyteller and playwright
• Andrea Barrett (born 1954), US fiction writer
• Lynne Barrett (living), US writer and editor, known for short stories
• Nuria Barrios (born 1962), Spanish poet and writer of non-fiction
• Angela Barry (living), Bermudian writer and educator
• Violet Barungi (born 1943), Ugandan writer and editor
• Mildred Barya (living), Ugandan poet
• Marie Bashkirtseff (1858–1884), Russian diarist and artist
• Laura Bassi (1711–1778), Italian physicist and academic
• Jackee Budesta Batanda (living), Ugandan journalist, writer and entrepreneur
• Allie Bates (born 1957), US writer
• Katharine Lee Bates (1859–1929), US songwriter
• Carol S. Batey (born 1955), US writer
• Janet Bathgate (c. 1806–1898), Scottish autobiographical working-class writer
• Effie T. Battle (c. 1882–post–1940), African-US poet and educator
• Dawn-Michelle Baude (born 1959), US poet, journalist and educator
• Baudovinia (fl. c. 600), French religious writer in Latin
• Vicki Baum (1888–1960), Austrian novelist
• Gertrud Bäumer (1873–1954), German writer and feminist
• Ada Ellen Bayly (Edna Lyall, 1857–1903), English novelist
• Emilia Pardo Bazán (1851–1921), Spanish essayist and novelist
• Aletta Beaujon (1933–2001), Curaçaoan-Aruban poet
• Betty Bentley Beaumont (1828–1892), English author and merchant
• Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986), French author and philosopher; She Came to Stay
• Dany Bébel-Gisler (1935–2003), Guadeloupean novelist
• Margaret Bechard (born 1953), US children's writer
• Alison Bechdel (born 1960), US cartoonist and graphic memoirist; Fun Home
• Béatrix Beck (1914–2008), French novelist; The Passionate Heart
• Thea Beckman (1923–2004), Dutch novelist; Kruistocht in Spijkerbroek
• Claude de Bectoz (1490–1547), French writer and philosopher
• Simi Bedford (living), Nigerian novelist based in Britain; Yoruba Girl Dancing
• Patricia Beer (1919–1999), English poet and critic
• Mrs. Beeton (1836–1865), English domestic author; Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management
• Anne Beffort (1880–1966), Luxembourg educator, writer and biographer
• Aphra Behn (1640–1689), English playwright, poet and novelist; The Rover
• Mariam Behnam (1921–2014), Iranian-Emirati novelist and autobiographer
• Concepción Silva Belinzon (1903–1987), Uruguayan writer
• Susan Groag Bell (1926–2015), Czech-US women's studies pioneer and autobiographer
• Gioconda Belli (born 1948), Nicaraguan revolutionary and writer
• Karen E. Bender (living), US novelist
• Victoria Benedictsson (1850–1888), Swedish author
• Elizabeth Benger (1775–1827), English novelist and biographer
• Veronica Bennett (born 1953), children's novelist
• Gwendolyn B. Bennett (1902–1981), African-US writer
• Louise Bennett (1919–2006), Jamaican poet and folklorist
• Nettie Lee Benson (1905–1993), American archivist and historian
• Sally Benson (1897–1972), US screenwriter and short story writer
• Caroline French Benton (died 1923), US cookery writer
• Nina Berberova (1901–1993), Soviet-Russian writer; The Tattered Cloak
• Josefa Berens-Totenohl (1891–1969), German novelist
• Aimée Daniell Beringer (1856–1936), American playwright and novelist
• Gabrielle Bernard (1893–1963), Belgian poet writing in Walloon French
• Juliana Berners (14th and 15th centuries), English writer on heraldry, hawking and hunting; The Book of Saint Albans
• Jovette Bernier (1900–1981), Canadian journalist, novelist, and poet
• Bertice Berry (born 1960), US sociologist, author, lecturer, and educator
• Julie Berry (born 1980), US author of children's and young adult fiction
• Mei-mei Berssenbrugge (born 1947), Chinese-US poet and playwright
• Betty Berzon (1928–2006), US author
• Annie Besant (1847–1933), English theosophist and activist; The Ancient Wisdom, Thought Forms
• Mary Matilda Betham (1776–1852), English diarist, poet and woman of letters
• Matilda Betham-Edwards (1836–1919), English novelist, poet and travel writer
• Kata Bethlen (1700–1759), Hungarian memoirist
• Doris Betts (1932–2012), US novelist, short story writer and essayist; Beasts of the Southern Wild and Other Stories
• Elizabeth Beverley (fl. 1815–30), English pamphleteer and entertainer
• L. S. Bevington (1845–1895), English poet, anarchist and essayist
• Anuradha Bhattacharyya (born 1975), Indian writer in English
• Elizabeth Bibesco (1897–1945), English writer
• Marthe Bibesco (1886–1973), Romanian writer in French
• Hester Biddle (c. 1629–1697), English Quaker pamphleteer and preacher
• Gisèle Bienne (born 1946), French novelist
• Linda Bierds (born 1945), US poet and professor
• Anna Bijns (1493–1575), Flemish humanist writing in Dutch and French
• Elisheva Bikhovski (1888–1949)
• Maeve Binchy (1939–2012), Irish novelist, playwright and columnist; Circle of Friends
• Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179), German mystic, playwright and poet writing in Latin; Scivias
• Carol Birch (born 1951), English novelist
• Elizabeth Burchill (1904–2003), Australian nurse, philanthropist and author
• Charlotte Birch-Pfeiffer (c. 1800–1868), German playwright and actress
• Isabella Bird (1831–1904), English traveller and writer
• Sandra Birdsell (born 1942), Canadian fiction writer
• Anne Bishop, US fantasy novelist; The Black Jewels series
• Elizabeth Bishop (1911–1979), Pulitzer Prize-winning US poet and writer
• Jacqueline Bishop (living), Jamaican writer, visual artist and photographer
• Clementina Black (1853–1922), English novelist and political writer
• Emily Lucas Blackall (1832–1892), US writer, philanthropist
• Sarah Blackborow (fl. 1650s–1660s), English Quaker writer and preacher
• Malorie Blackman (born 1962), Barbadian-born English author of fiction and drama for children and young adults; Noughts & Crosses series
• Isa Blagden (1816/1817–1873), novelist and poet in English resident in Italy
• Marie-Claire Blais (born 1939), Canadian novelist, poet, and playwright
• Susanna Blamire (1747–1794), English poet
• Neltje Blanchan (1865–1918), US nature writer; Bird Neighbors, Nature's Garden
• Clair Blank (1915–1965), US author of the Beverly Gray mystery series
• Barbara Blaugdone (c. 1609–1705), English Quaker autobiographer
• Helena Blavatsky (1831–1891), Russian theosophist, occultist and mystic
• Ann Eliza Bleecker (1752–1783), US poet and correspondent
• Karen Blixen (1885–1962), Danish writer; Out of Africa
• Francesca Lia Block (born 1962), US author; Weetzie Bat series
• Amy Bloom (born 1953), US novelist, non-fiction writer and psychotherapist
• Valerie Bloom (born 1956), Jamaican poet and novelist
• Amelia Bloomer (1818–1894), US writer, women's rights and temperance advocate
• Andrée Blouin (1921–1986), activist and writer from the Central African Republic
• Judy Blume (born 1938), US novelist; Forever, Tiger Eyes
• Enid Blyton (1897–1968), English children's writer; Famous Five series
• Margarita Bobba (fl. 1560), Italian writer and poet
• Imma von Bodmershof (1895–1982), Austrian poet
• Janka Boga (1886–1963), Hungarian writer and teacher
• Louise Bogan (1897–1970), US poet; fourth US Poet Laureate
• Graciela Bográn (1896-2000), Honduran intellectual and essayist
• Margarete Böhme (1867–1939), German novelist; Tagebuch einer Verlorenen
• Eavan Boland (born 1944), Irish poet
• Catherine of Bologna (1413–1463), Italian religious writer and saint
• Isabel Bolton (1883–1975), US novelist
• Sarah Knowles Bolton (1841–1916), US writer
• María Luisa Bombal (1910–1980), Chilean author
• Erma Bombeck (1927–1996), US humorist
• Son Bo-mi (born 1980), Korean novelist
• Annie B. Bond (born 1953), US author, editor
• Chrystelle Trump Bond (living), US dancer, choreographer and dance historian
• Cynthia Bond (born 1961), US novelist
• Mildred Amanda Baker Bonham (1840–1907), US traveler, journalist
• Tanella Boni (born 1954), Ivorian poet and novelist
• Elizabeth Anne Bonner (born 1924), US writer of fiction and poetry
• Geraldine Bonner (1870–1930), US author
• Marita Bonner (1899–1971), US writer, essayist and playwright; Harlem Renaissance
• Malika Booker (born 1970), British poet, writer and artist
• Mary Everest Boole (1832–1916), English writer
• Frances Boothby (fl. c. 1669–1670), English playwright
• Alice Borchardt (1939–2007), US writer of historical fiction, fantasy, and horror; The Silver Wolf
• Miriam Borgenicht (1915−1992), US writer of mystery novels
• Marianne Boruch (born 1950), US poet and professor
• Anne Lynch Botta (1815–1891), US poet, writer, teacher and socialite
• Phyllis Bottome (1884–1963), British fiction writer; The Mortal Storm, Danger Signal
• Jane Bowdler (1743–1784), English poet and essayist
• Elizabeth Bowen (1899–1973), Anglo-Irish fiction writer; The Death of the Heart, The Heat of the Day
• Mary Bowes (1749–1800), English playwright and botanist
• Jane Bowles (1917–1973), US writer and playwright; Two Serious Ladies
• Karin Boye (1900–1941), Swedish poet and novelist
• Kay Boyle (1902–1992), US writer, educator and political activist
• Leigh Brackett (1915–1978), US science fiction author; The Starmen, People of the Talisman
• Paula Brackston (living), English historical fiction novelist; The Witch's Daughter
• Mary Elizabeth Braddon (1837–1915), English novelist; Lady Audley's Secret
• Marion Zimmer Bradley (1930–1999), US fantasy and science fiction writer; The Door Through Space, The Firebrand
• Anne Bradstreet (1612–1672), US poet and writer
• Anne Bragance (born 1945), French writer
• Oyinkan Braithwaite (born 1988), Nigerian-UK novelist
• Shannon Bramer (born 1973), Canadian poet
• Dionne Brand (born 1953), Canadian poet, novelist and essayist
• Hannah Brand (1754–1821), English actress and playwright
• Giannina Braschi (born 1953), Puerto Rican writer; Empire of Dreams
• Ann Brashares (born 1967), author of The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants series
• Lily Braun (1865–1916), German feminist writer
• Anna Eliza Bray (1790–1883), English novelist
• Libba Bray (born 1964), US young-adult novelist; The Sweet Far Thing
• Angela Brazil (1868–1947), British writer
• Jean "Binta" Breeze (born 1956), Jamaican dub poet and storyteller
• Fredrika Bremer (1801–1865), Swedish writer and feminist activist
• Sophia Elisabet Brenner (1659–1730), Swedish writer, poet, feminist and salon hostess
• Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond (living), US-Ghanaian writer of novels, short stories and poetry
• Martha Wadsworth Brewster (1710–c. 1757), US poet and writer; first US-born woman to publish under own name
• Melitta Breznik (born 1961), Austrian-born writer of short stories
• London Bridgez (born 1982), US poet, writer
• Patricia Briggs (born 1965), US fantasy writer
• Mary Chavelita Dunne Bright (1859–1945), "New Woman" writer and feminist
• Eliza Brightwen (1830–1906), Scottish writer and naturalist
• Vera Brittain (1893–1970), English writer, feminist and pacifist; Testament of Youth
• Dragana Kršenković Brković (living), Montenegrin writer
• Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić (1874–1938), Croatian children's writer; Croatian Tales of Long Ago, The Marvelous Adventures and Misadventures of Hlapić the Apprentice
• Chris Broadribb (living), Australian fiction writer
• Erna Brodber (born 1940), Jamaican novelist and sociologist
• Anne Brontë (1820–1849), English novelist and poet; The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
• Charlotte Brontë (1816–1855), English novelist and poet; Jane Eyre
• Emily Brontë (1818–1848), English novelist and poet; Wuthering Heights
• Emma Brooke (1844–1926), "New Woman" novelist
• Frances Brooke (1723–1789), English novelist, essayist and playwright
• Anita Brookner (1928–2016), English novelist and art historian; 1984 Booker Prize for Hotel du Lac
• Geraldine Brooks (born 1955), Pulitzer Prize-winning author of March
• Gwendolyn Brooks (1917–2000), US poet and author; Annie Allen
• Nicole Brossard (born 1943), French Canadian formalist poet and novelist
• Alice Williams Brotherton (1848–1930), US poet, magazine writer
• Rhoda Broughton (1840–1920), English novelist
• Olga Broumas (born 1949), Greek poet living in US
• Cindy Lynn Brown (born 1973), poet
• Lily Brown (born 1981), poet, author
• Helen Gurley Brown (1922–2012), US author, publisher and businesswoman
• Margaret Wise Brown (1910–1952), US children's author; Goodnight Moon
• Pat Brown (born 1955), true-crime author, criminal profiler
• Rebecca Brown (born 1956), US author
• Rita Mae Brown (born 1944), US novelist, poet and screenwriter; Rubyfruit Jungle
• Frances Browne (1816–1887), Irish poet and novelist
• Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861), English poet; Aurora Leigh
• Andrée Brunin (1937–1993), French poet
• Giuliana Bruno, author of The Guardian best book of 2003
• Marianne Bruns (1897–1994), German novelist and poet
• Mary Brunton (1778–1818), Scottish novelist
• Tanja Bruske (born 1978), German writer and journalist
• Colette Bryce (born 1970), poet from Northern Ireland
• Bryher (also Annie Winifred Ellerman, 1894–1983), English novelist, poet, memoirist and editor
• Pearl S. Buck (1892–1973), US fiction writer, biographer and humanitarian; 1938 Nobel Prize in Literature The Good Earth
• Maria Elizabeth Budden (c. 1780–1832), English novelist, translator and children's writer
• Andrea Hollander Budy (born 1947), US poet
• Aminta Buenaño (born 1958), Ecuadorian writer and politician
• Kanstantsia Builo (1893–1986), Belarusian poet and playwright
• NoViolet Bulawayo (born 1981), Zimbabwean fiction writer; We Need New Names
• Anna Bülow (died 1519), Swedish writer, translator and abbess
• Anna Bunina (1774–1829), Russian poet
• Erika Burkart (1922–2010), Swiss poet and writer
• Bonnie Burnard (1945–2017), Canadian novelist; A Good House
• Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849–1924), English playwright and children's writer; The Secret Garden
• Frances Burney (1776–1828), English author of closet drama
• Frances Burney (1752–1840), English novelist, diarist and playwright; Evelina
• Sarah Burney (1772–1844), English novelist
• Clara Louise Burnham (1854–1827), US novelist
• Anna Burns (born 1962), Northern Irish novelist
• Deborah Burrows (born 1959), Australian novelist
• Mary Towne Burt (1842–1898), US temperance reformer, publisher and benefactor
• Margaret Busby (born 1944), Ghanaian publisher, journalist and dramatist; Daughters of Africa
• Olivia Ward Bush (1869–1944), US author, poet and journalist
• Abena Busia (born 1953), Ghanaian poet and academic
• Akosua Busia (born 1966), Ghanaian actress, novelist and screenwriter
• Christine Busta (1915–1987), Austrian poet
• Sharon Butala (born 1940), Canadian novelist
• Amy Butcher (living), US essayist and writer
• Octavia Butler (1947–2006), US science fiction writer; Patternist series, Lilith's Brood
• Susan Bulkeley Butler, US motivational author
• Miriam Butterworth (1918–2019) US pacifist, teacher and politician
• Mary Butts (1890–1937), English modernist writer
• A. S. Byatt (born 1936), English novelist and poet; 1990 Booker Prize; Possession: A Romance
• Kim Byeol-ah (born 1969), Korean author
• Sarah Shun-lien Bynum (born 1972), US novelist, short story writer, and anthologist

C

• Meg Cabot (born 1967), US author; The Princess Diaries
• Caroline Caddy (born 1944), Australian poet
• Florence Caddy (1837–1923), English writer
• Elizabeth Cadell (1903–1989), British writer raised in India
• Mona Caird (c. 1854–1932), Scottish novelist and essayist
• Graciela Rincón Calcaño (1904–1987), Venezuelan writer and poet
• Taylor Caldwell (1900–1985), Anglo-US novelist
• Hortense Calisher (1911–2009), US writer
• Maria Callcott (1785–1842), English author of children's books and travel writings
• June Callwood (1924–2007), Canadian journalist, author and social activist
• Paola Calvetti (born 1948), Italian novelist, journalist
• Bebe Moore Campbell (1950–2006), US novelist
• Bonnie Jo Campbell (born 1962), US novelist and short-story writer
• Hazel Campbell (1940–2018), Jamaican writer of short stories and children's books
• Marion May Campbell (born 1948), Australian novelist and academic
• Lorea Canales (living), Mexican writer, journalist, translator
• Dorothy Canfield (1879–1958), US author; Understood Betsy
• May Wedderburn Cannan (1893–1973), English poet
• Minna Canth (1844–1897), Finnish writer and social activist
• Ludmilla Lacueva Canut (born 1971), Andorran fiction and non-fiction writer
• Lan Cao (born 1961), Vietnamese-US writer; Monkey Bridge
• Jacqueline Carey (born 1964), US fantasy novelist; Kushiel's Legacy
• Rosa Nouchette Carey (1840–1909), English novelist and children's writer
• Leonora Carrington (born 1917), British-born Mexican artist, surrealist painter and novelist
• Rachel Carson (1907–1964), US marine biologist, conservationist and author; Silent Spring
• Catherine Carswell (1879–1946), Scottish writer
• Teresa de Cartagena (born c. 1425), Spanish religious writer
• Angela Carter (1940–1992), English novelist and journalist; Nights at the Circus
• Anne Laurel Carter (born 1953), Canadian novelist
• Elizabeth Carter (1717–1806), English poet, writer and Bluestocking
• Caroline Carver (born 1959), English-Australian novelist
• Lisa Crystal Carver (born 1968), US writer
• Alice Cary (1820–1871), US poet, sister of Phoebe Cary
• Elizabeth Cary (1585–1639), English playwright; The Tragedy of Mariam
• Phoebe Cary (1824–1871), US poet, sister of Alice Cary
• Adelaide Casely-Hayford (1868–1960), Sierra Leonean short story writer and educator
• Gladys May Casely-Hayford (1901–1950), Sierra Leonean poet
• Kathryn Casey (living), US true crime author, novelist and journalist
• Deirdre Cash (1924–1963, Criena Rohan), Australian novelist
• Kristin Cashore (born 1976), US fantasy author; Graceling
• P. C. Cast (born 1960), US author; House of Night
• Rosario Castellanos (1925–1974), Mexican poet and author
• Almucs de Castelnau (c. 1140–pre–1184), French poet writing in Occitan
• Ana Castillo (born 1953), Mexican-US fiction writer, poet and essayist
• Elisabeth Castonier (1894–1975), German-born children's writer and journalist in German and English
• Rosalía de Castro (1837–1885), Galician writer and poet
• Willa Cather (1873–1947), Pulitzer Prize-winning US author; My Ántonia, O Pioneers!
• Eleanor Catton (born 1985), Canadian-New Zealand novelist; 2013 Man Booker Prize; The Luminaries
• Jane Cavendish (1620/1621–1669), English poet and playwright
• Margaret Cavendish (1623–1673), English poet, playwright and fiction writer; The Blazing World
• Susannah Centlivre (1667–1723), English playwright and poet
• Laura Cereta (1469–1499), Italian humanist
• Theresa Hak Kyung Cha (1951–1982), US novelist and artist; Dictee
• Maria A. Chalon (1797–1877), British miniature portrait painter
• Françoise Chandernagor (born 1945), French novelist and playwright
• Elizabeth Margaret Chandler (1807–1834), US poet and writer; first US woman writer to concentrate on abolition of slavery
• Diana Chang (born 1934), Chinese US novelist and poet
• Jung Chang (born 1952), Chinese-English author; Wild Swans
• Hester Chapone (1727–1801), English writer and Bluestocking
• Charlotte Charke (1713–1760), English playwright, novelist and autobiographer
• Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine (in German: Liselotte von der Pfalz, 1652–1722), German correspondent
• Isabelle de Charrière (1740–1805), Dutch novelist writing in French
• Lidia Charskaya (1875–1938), popular Russian novelist
• Noëlle Châtelet (born 1944), French essayist, novelist and story writer
• Georgiana Chatterton (1806–1876), English author and traveler
• Beth Chatto (1923–2018), English garden writer
• Subhadra Kumari Chauhan (1904–1948), Indian poet known for Hindi songs
• Daína Chaviano (born 1960), Cuban writer; The Island of Eternal Love
• Mavis Cheek (born c. 1948), English novelist
• Nora Chegodayeva (1905–1971), Soviet interpreter and translator
• Ying Chen (born 1961), Chinese Canadian author
• Kelly Cherry (born 1940), US, novelist, poet and essayist
• C. J. Cherryh (born 1942), US sci-fi and fantasy author; Downbelow Station
• Tracy Chevalier (born 1962), US-English novelist; Girl with a Pearl Earring
• Helmina von Chézy (1783–1856), German poet, playwright and librettist
• Sagawa Chika (1911–1936), Japanese avant-garde poet
• Lydia Maria Child (1802–1880), US poet, novelist and journalist; Over the River and Through the Woods
• Alice Childress (1916–1994), African-US playwright and novelist
• Mei Chin (born 1977), US writer and food critic
• Paulina Chiziane (born 1955), Mozambiquean fiction writer
• Joanna Chmielewska (born 1932), Polish writer
• Sonia Chocrón (born 1961), Venezuelan poet, novelist and playwright
• Pema Chödrön (born 1936), US Buddhist author
• Susan Choi (born 1969), US novelist and editor
• Mary Cholmondeley (1859–1925), English novelist
• Lathóg of Tír Chonaill (fl. 9th century), Irish poet
• Denise Chong (born 1953), Canadian memoirist, editor and non-fiction author
• Kate Chopin (1851–1904), US fiction writer; The Awakening
• Helene Christaller (1872–1953), German children's novelist
• Kate Christensen (born 1962), US novelist; In The Drink, Jeremy Thrane, The Great Man
• Agatha Christie (1890–1976), British crime writer; The Mousetrap, And Then There Were None
• Chrystos (born 1946), Menominee rights activist and poet
• Lady Mary Chudleigh (1656–1710), English poet, essayist and writer; The Ladies' Defence
• Ismat Chughtai (1915–1991), Indian Urdu writer
• Lydia Chukovskaya (1907–1996), Soviet-Russian writer; Sofia Petrovna
• Caryl Churchill (born 1938), English playwright; A Mouthful of Birds
• Sandra Cisneros (born 1954), US fiction writer; The House on Mango Street, Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories
• Gabrielle Civil (living), US performance artist, poet, and educator
• Hélène Cixous (born 1937), Algerian-born French poet, playwright and philosopher
• Paula Clamp (born 1967), British novelist, playwright
• Amy Clampitt (1920–1994), US poet and author
• Cassandra Clare (born 1973), US young-adult fiction writer
• Sue Cassidy Clark, US music journalist and photographer
• Joan Clark (born 1934), Canadian novelist
• Margaret Clark (born 1964), US historian, writer, and educator
• Maxine Beneba Clarke (living), Australian writer
• Mary Higgins Clark (born 1927), US suspense novelist; A Stranger is Watching
• Amy Key Clarke (1892–1980), English mystical poet, author and teacher
• Anna Clarke (1919–2004), English mystery writer
• Gillian Clarke (born 1937), Welsh poet, playwright and broadcaster
• Mrs. Henry Clarke (1853–1908), English historical novelist and children's writer
• Mary H. Gray Clarke (1835–1992), US author, correspondent and poet
• Susanna Clarke (born 1959), English novelist; Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
• Margareta Clausdotter (died 1486), Swedish writer and abbess
• Beverly Cleary (born 1916), US author; The Mouse and the Motorcycle
• Kate McPhelim Cleary (1863–1905), US novelist and story writer
• Joceline Clemencia (1952–2011), Afro-Curaçaoan writer and linguist
• Cleobulina (fl. c. 550 BC), Greek poet
• Claude Catherine de Clermont (1543–1603), French scholar and courtier
• Michelle Cliff (born 1946), Jamaican-US author; No Telephone to Heaven
• Lucille Clifton (1936–2010), US poet, writer and educator
• Gloria Griffen Cline (1929–1973), US historian
• Caroline Clive (1801–1872), English poet and novelist
• Catherine Clive (Kitty, 1711–1785), English actress and dramatist
• Ella Maria Dietz Clymer (1847–1920), US actress, poet
• Lynn Coady (born 1970), Canadian novelist, short story writer and journalist
• Wendy Coakley-Thompson (born 1966), US novelist; What You Won't Do for Love
• Florence Earle Coates (1850–1927), US poet
• Frances Power Cobbe (1822–1904), Irish writer and suffragist
• Alice Rollit Coe (1858–1940), Canadian-US author
• Gabrielle de Coignard (1550–1586), French poet
• Virginia Coigney (1917–1997), civic leader, journalist and author
• Allison Hedge Coke (born 1958), US poet and writer
• Frona Eunice Wait Colburn (1859–1946), US journalist and fiction writer
• H. Maria George Colby (1844–1910), US journalist, temperance worker and suffragist
• Emma Shaw Colcleugh (1846–1940), US journalist, lecturer and traveler
• Lois Dwight Cole (1903–1979), US editor and children's author
• Norma Cole (born 1945), US poet, visual artist, and translator
• Wanda Coleman (born 1946), US poet
• Christabel Rose Coleridge (1843–1921), English novelist and editor
• Mary Elizabeth Coleridge (1861–1907), English novelist and poet
• Sara Coleridge (1802–1852), English writer and translator
• Colette (1873–1954), French novelist; Gigi
• Camilla Collett (1813–1895), Norwegian novelist, literary critic and essayist
• Ada Langworthy Collier (1843–1919), US poet, writer
• Jennie Collins (1828–1887), US activist and author
• Mabel Collins (1851–1927), English theosophist
• Merle Collins (born 1950), Grenadian poet and short story writer
• Suzanne Collins (born 1962), US novelist; The Hunger Games
• Vittoria Colonna (1490–1547), Italian poet and marchioness
• Mary Colum (1884–1957), Irish literary critic and author
• Anne Compton (born 1947), Canadian poet, critic, and anthologist
• Ivy Compton-Burnett (1884–1969), English novelist; Pastors and Masters
• Maryse Condé (born 1937), Guadeloupean novelist
• Helen Gray Cone (1859–1934), poet and professor
• Jane Elizabeth Dexter Conklin (born 1831), US poet, journalist and religious writer
• Eliza Archard Conner (1838–1912), US journalist, lecturer and feminist
• Elizabeth Marney Conner (born 1856), US drama reader, educator and author
• Ana Conta-Kernbach (1865–1921), Romanian educationist, journalist and literary writer
• Selma Cook (born 1961), editor
• Eliza Cook (1818–1889), English poet
• Marvel Cooke (1903–2000), US journalist and writer
• Elizabeth Cook-Lynn (born 1930), Crow Creek Lakota Sioux poet, novelist and academic; Wíčazo Ša Review
• Ina Coolbrith (born Josephine Anna Smith, 1841–1928), first poet laureate of California
• Deborah Coonts (living), US romance, mystery and humor novelist, and lawyer
• Carolyn Cooper (born 1950), Jamaican author and literary scholar
• J. California Cooper (1931–2014), African-US playwright and fiction writer
• Wendy Cope (born 1945), English poet
• Esther Copley (1786–1851), English religious and children's writer
• Marguerite Coppin (1867–1931), Poet Laureate of Belgium
• Marie Corelli (1855–1924), English novelist
• Corinna (Κόριννα, 6th century BC), Greek poet
• Cornificia (c. 85–c. 40 BC), Roman poet and writer of epigrams
• Caroline Cornwallis (1786–1858), English writer on education, philosophy and science
• Jane Cornwallis (1581–1659), English letter writer
• Anita Cornwell (born 1923), US author
• Patricia Cornwell (born 1956), US crime writer; Body of Evidence
• Cecilia K Corrigan (born 1987), US poet, writer
• Sarah Cortez (living), Latina poet, editor and essayist
• Jayne Cortez (born 1936), US poet and performance artist
• Lola Costa (1903–2004), English painter, writer and poet
• Sophie Ristaud Cottin (1770–1807), French novelist
• Violet May Cottrell (1887–1971), New Zealand writer, poet and spiritualist
• Hedwig Courths-Mahler (1867–1950), German novelist
• Arlette Cousture (born 1948), Canadian writer
• Dani Couture (born 1978), Canadian poet and novelist
• Hannah Cowley (1743–1809), English playwright and poet
• Mary Lynde Craig (living), US writer, teacher and activist
• Dinah Mulock Craik (1826–1887), English novelist; John Halifax, Gentleman
• Helen Craik (1751–1825), Scottish novelist
• Margaret Craven (1901–1980), US novelist; I Heard the Owl Call My Name
• Isabella Valancy Crawford (1850–1887), Canadian poet
• Susan P. Crawford (born 1963), US professor of law
• Hélisenne de Crenne (1510–1552), French novelist, epistolary writer and translator
• Ann Batten Cristall (1769–1848), English poet
• Bithia Mary Croker (1849–1920), Irish-born Anglo-Indian writer
• M. T. C. Cronin (born 1963), Australian writer
• Camilla Dufour Crosland (1812–1895), English writer and poet
• Elsa Cross (born 1946), Mexican poet and essayist
• Karen Crouse (living), American journalist and author
• Catherine Crowe (1800–1876), English dramatist, novelist and author of children's books
• Helen Cruickshank (1886–1975), Scottish poet writing in Braid Scots and English
• Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1651–1695), Mexican poet and playwright
• Meta Davis Cumberbatch (1900–1978), Trinidad-born poet, playwright and cultural activist
• Maria Susanna Cummins (1827–1866), US novelist; The Lamplighter
• Lady Margaret Cunningham (died c. 1622), Scottish memoirist and correspondent
• Pat Cumper (born 1954), British playwright
• Dymphna Cusack (1902–1981), Australian author; Come In Spinner
• Rachel Cusk (born 1967), Canadian-born novelist
• Catherine Cuthbertson (c. 1775–1842), English novelist
• Ptolemais of Cyrene (3rd century BC or later), Greek writer on music
• Julie E. Czerneda (born 1955), Canadian sci-fi and fantasy author

D

• Maria Dąbrowska (1889–1965), Polish writer
• Anne Dacier (1645–1720), French scholar and classical translator
• Nino Dadeshkeliani (1890–1931), Georgian writer, politician
• Yrsa Daley-Ward (born 1989), British poet
• Ann Dally (1929–2007), English author and psychiatrist
• Jordan Dane (born 1953), US thriller writer
• Tsitsi Dangarembga (born 1959), Zimbabwean author and filmmaker; Nervous Conditions
• Cora Linn Daniels (born 1852), US author
• Mabel Dove Danquah (1910–1984), Ghanaian short story writer and journalist
• Meri Nana-Ama Danquah (born 1967), Ghanaian-US writer, editor, journalist and public speaker
• Edwidge Danticat (born 1969), Haitian-US novelist; Breath, Eyes, Memory
• Xie Daoyun (pre-340 AD – post-399), Chinese poet
• Amma Darko (born 1956), Ghanaian novelist
• Tina Darragh (born 1950), US language poet
• Marie Darrieussecq (born 1969), French-Basque novelist
• Cecilia Dart-Thornton (living), Australian fantasy fiction writer; Bitterbynde trilogy
• Helen Darville (Helen Dale, Helen Demidenko; born 1972), Australian journalist and novelist
• Kamala Das (1932–2009), poet and short story writer
• Marcia Davenport (1903–1996), US novelist, biographer and memoirist; The Valley of Decision
• Selina Davenport (1779–1859), English novelist who wrote about and for women
• Henriette Davidis (1801–1876), German cookbook writer
• Alexandra David-Néel (1868–1969), French traveller, writer, and Buddhist
• Joy Davidman (born Helen Joy Davidman, 1915–1960), writer and poet
• Nadia Davids (born 1977), South African writer and playwright
• Angela Davis (born 1944), US philosopher and political activist
• Dorothy Salisbury Davis (born 1916), US mystery novelist
• Kyra Davis (born 1972), US novelist
• Lydia Davis (born 1947), US "flash fiction" writer and essayist
• Rebecca Harding Davis (1831–1910), US journalist and novelist; Life in the Iron Mills
• Mary Davys (1674–1732), Irish novelist and playwright
• Elizabeth Dawbarn (died 1839), English writer on religion and child care
• Pieretta Dawn (born 1994), author
• Laura Day (born 1959), US writer of self-help books
• Shobhaa De (born 1947), Indian journalist and novelist; Starry Nights
• Pamela Dean (born 1953), US novelist; Tam Lin
• Kathryn Deans (living), Australian children's fantasy author
• Charlotte Burgis DeForest (1879–1973), US writer
• Ellen DeGeneres (born 1958), US writer, comedian and television host
• E. M. Delafield (1890–1943), English novelist and memoirist
• Lucy Delaney (c. 1830–c. 1890), US memoirist
• Mary Delany (1700–1788), English letter-writer and Bluestocking
• Lucie Delarue-Mardrus (1874–1945), French poet, novelist and journalist
• Grazia Deledda (1871–1936), Italian novelist and poet; 1926 Nobel Prize for Literature
• Yanette Delétang-Tardif (1902–1976), French poet, translator and novelist
• Ella Cara Deloria (1888–1971), US ethnographer, Sioux oral historian and novelist
• Nicole Dennis-Benn (born 1982), Jamaican novelist and story writer
• Enid Derham (1882–1941), Australian poet
• Regina Derieva (1949–2013), Russian poet and writer
• Anita Desai (born 1937), Indian novelist; In Custody
• Kiran Desai (born 1971), Indian novelist; 2006 Booker Prize; The Inheritance of Loss
• Marceline Desbordes-Valmore (1786–1859), French poet
• Anne Desclos (writing as Dominique Aury and Pauline Réage, 1907–1998), French journalist and novelist
• Antoinette du Ligier de la Garde Deshoulières (1638–1694), French poet
• Virginie Despentes (born 1969), French novelist
• Babette Deutsch (1895–1982), US poet, critic, translator, and novelist
• Mary Deverell (1731–1805), English religious writer and poet
• Ashapoorna Devi (1909–1995), Bengali novelist and poet
• Mahasweta Devi (born 1926), Bengali-Indian journalist and novelist
• Caroline Dexter (1819–1884), English-Australian feminist journalist
• Dhuoda (c. 803–c. 843), Frankish moralist writing in Latin; Liber Manualis
• Anita Diamant (born 1951), US novelist and non-fiction writer; The Red Tent
• Olga Xirinacs Díaz (born 1936), writer and piano teacher
• Kate DiCamillo (born 1964), US children's author
• Emily Dickinson (1830–1886), US poet
• Susan E. Dickinson (1842–1915), Civil War correspondent
• Joan Didion (born 1934), US journalist, essayist and novelist
• Alice Mangold Diehl (1844–1912), English novelist and musician
• Florence Carpenter Dieudonné (1850–1927), pioneer of US speculative fiction
• Annie Le Porte Diggs (1853–1916), Canadian poet, author and newspaperwoman
• Annie Dillard (born 1945), US nonfiction writer, poet, essayist and novelist; Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
• Constance Dima (born 1948), Greek writer, poet and translator
• Blaga Dimitrova (1922–2003), Bulgarian poet and Vice President of Bulgaria
• Isak Dinesen (1885–1962), Danish novelist; Out of Africa
• Kelly DiPucchio (born 1967), children's author
• Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (born 1956), Indian-US poet and fiction writer; Mistress of Spices
• Lady Florence Dixie (1855–1905), Scottish feminist travel writer, war correspondent and novelist
• Assia Djebar (1936–2015), Algerian novelist, translator and filmmaker
• Valentina Dmitryeva (1859–1947), Russian-Soviet writer; Hveska, the Doctor's Watchman
• Rosemary Dobson (1920–2012), Australian poet
• Anna Bowman Dodd (1858–1929), US author
• Mary Mapes Dodge (1831–1905), US children's writer; Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates
• Harriet Doerr (1910–2002), US novelist; Stones for Ibarra
• Mary Crow Dog (born 1953), Native US writer and activist; Lakota Woman
• Berlie Doherty (born 1943), English novelist, poet, playwright, screenwriter and children's writer
• Dorcas Dole (fl. later 17th century), English Quaker pamphleteer for adults and children
• Emma Dolujanoff (1922–2013), Mexican writer
• Hilde Domin (1909–2006), German poet
• Emma Donoghue (born 1969), Irish-Canadian novelist; Hood
• Robyn Doolittle (born 1984), Canadian journalist; Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story
• Mathilda d'Orozco (also Mathilda Montgomery-Cederhjelm; 1796–1863), Swedish (originally Spanish-Italian) salonist, poet and writer
• Doris Dörrie (born 1955), German novelist and film director
• Lyubov Dostoyevskaya (1869–1926), Russian writer;The Emigrant
• Sarah Doudney (1841–1926), English children's writer and poet
• Ellen Douglas (1921–2012), US novelist, short story and non-fiction writer
• O. Douglas, pen name of Anna Buchan (1877–1948), Scottish novelist
• Sara Douglass (Sara Warneke, 1957–2011), Australian fantasy novelist; the Axis trilogy
• Maro Douka (born 1947), Greek novelist
• Rita Dove (born 1952), US poet; 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry; Thomas and Beulah
• Unity Dow (born 1959), Botswanan human rights activist and novelist
• Mary Frances Dowdall (1876–1939), English novelist and non-fiction writer
• Margaret Drabble (born 1939), English novelist and biographer; The Millstone
• Judith Drake (late 17th century), English feminist essayist
• Augusta Theodosia Drane (1823–1894), English religious writer and biographer
• Ingeborg Drewitz (1923–1986), German playwright and novelist
• Celia Dropkin (1887–1956), Berorussian-US Yiddish-language poet
• Annette von Droste-Hülshoff (1797–1848), German poet
• Ree Drummond (born 1969)
• Anna Harriett Drury (1824–1912), English poet and novelist
• Carol Ann Duffy (born 1955), Scottish poet and playwright; first female and first Scottish Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom
• Marilyn Dumont (born 1955), First Nations Canadian poet
• Sarah Dunant (born 1950), English genre novelist; The Birth of Venus
• Lois Duncan (1934–2016), US young adult thriller writer; I Know What You Did Last Summer
• Elaine Dundy (1931–2008), US journalist, novelist and biographer
• Camille Dungy (born 1972), US poet and professor
• Clare B. Dunkle (born 1964), US children's fantasy author and librarian
• Katherine Dunn (1945–2016), US novelist, journalist, and poet; Geek Love
• Rachel Blau DuPlessis (born 1941), US poet, essayist and feminist scholar
• Mary Durack (1913–1994), Australian historical novelist and children's writer
• Claire de Duras (1777–1828), French novelist; Ourika
• Marguerite Duras (Marguerite Donnadieu, 1914–1996), French novelist, playwright and screenwriter; L'Amant
• Marie Dušková (1903–1968), Czech poet
• Karen Duve (born 1961), German novelist and story writer
• Mona Van Duyn (1921–2004), US poet; 36th US Poet Laureate
• Guerguina Dvoretzka (living), Bulgarian poet and journalist

E

• Huang E (also Huang Xiumei; 1498–1569), Chinese poet of the Ming dynasty
• Beverley East (born 1953), Jamaican writer
• Edith Maude Eaton (also Sui Sin Far; 1865–1914), Chinese-English-Canadian novelist
• Winnifred Eaton (also Watanna Onoto; 1875–1954), Chinese-English-Canadian-US fiction writer
• Françoise d'Eaubonne (1920–2005), French feminist essayist and science fiction novelist; ecofeminism
• Margareta Ebner (1291–1351), German diarist and mystic
• Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach (1830–1916), Austrian novelist
• Charlotte O'Conor Eccles (1860–1911), Irish novelist and translator
• Nydia Ecury (1926–2012), Aruban-Curaçaoan poet and translator
• Leigh Eddings (1939–2007), US fantasy novelist
• Inger Edelfeldt (born 1956), Swedish fiction writer, children's writer and illustrator
• Aida Edemariam (living), Ethiopian-Canadian journalist and memoirist
• Emily Eden (1797–1869), English novelist and poet
• Zee Edgell (born 1940), Belizean novelist; Beka Lamb
• Maria Edgeworth (1767–1849), English-born Irish novelist; Castle Rackrent
• Esi Edugyan (born 1978), Canadian novelist and writer; Half-Blood Blues
• Summer Edward (born 1986), Trinidadian writer, children's editor and literary activist
• Amelia Edwards (1831–1892), English fiction writer and poet
• Yvvette Edwards (living), British novelist
• Françoise Ega (1920–1976), Martinican novelist
• Jennifer Egan (born 1962); US fiction writer; 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction; A Visit from the Goon Squad
• Egeria (Aetheria) (fl. AD 381–384), Gallic pilgrim and correspondent writing in Latin
• Alicia Eguren (1924–1977), Argentine poet, essayist and journalist
• Barbara Ehrenreich (born 1941), US feminist, socialist and political activist
• Marianne Ehrenström (1773–1867), Swedish writer
• Paula Einöder (born 1974), Uruguayan poet, writer
• Kerstin Ekman (born 1933), Swedish novelist, detective story writer
• Margareta Ekström (born 1930), Swedish poet, novelist and children's writer
• Elaine Eksvärd (born 1981), Swedish non-fiction writer
• Nana Ekvtimishvili (born 1978), Georgian writer and film director
• Roza Eldarova (born 1923), Soviet writer and politician writing in Russian
• Elephantis (fl. late 1st century BC), Greek erotic poet
• Safia Elhillo (born 1990), Sudanese-US poet
• George Eliot (born Marian Evans, 1819–1880), English novelist and poet; Middlemarch
• Elizabeth F. Ellet (1818–1877), US writer, historian and poet
• Bina Sarkar Ellias (born 1949), Indian poet, writer, editor
• Anne Elliot (1856–1941), English novelist
• Nawal el-Saadawi (born 1931), Egyptian feminist and fiction writer
• Elizabeth Elstob (1683–1756), English feminist scholar and translator
• Diamela Eltit (born 1949), Chilean novelist
• Lynn Emanuel (born 1949), US poet
• Buchi Emecheta (1944–2017), Nigerian novelist; The Bride Price
• Claudia Emerson (1957–2014), US poet and academic; 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
• Ellen Russell Emerson (1837–1907), US author, ethnologist
• Akazome Emon (956–1041), Japanese poet and historian
• Carol Emshwiller (born 1921), US fiction writer
• Marian Engel (1933–1985), Canadian novelist
• Dorothe Engelbretsdatter (1634–1716), Norwegian poet and hymn writer
• Isobel English (1920–1994), English novelist; Every Eye
• Françoise Enguehard (born 1957), French-Canadian journalist and novelist
• Enheduanna (2285–2250 BCE), Sumerian royal priestess and poet
• Anne Enright (born 1962), Irish fiction writer and essayist; 2007 Booker Prize; The Gathering
• Nora Ephron (1941–2012), US film director, producer, screenwriter and novelist
• Pamphile of Epidaurus (1st century AD), Greek historian
• Muzi Epifani (1935–1984), Italian novelist, poet, playwright, columnist
• Leyla Erbil (1931–2013), Turkish writer
• Louise Erdrich (born 1954), US novelist, poet and children's writer
• Helena Eriksson (born 1962), Swedish expressionist poet
• Erinna (Ἤριννα, fl. c. 600 BC), Greek poet
• Anastasia Eristavi-Khoshtaria (1868–1951), Georgian novelist
• Annie Ernaux (born 1940), French novelist and autobiographer
• Maria Ernestam (born 1959), Swedish journalist and novelist
• Jenny Erpenbeck (born 1967), German novelist
• Nataly von Eschstruth (1860–1939), German novelist
• Edith Escombe (1866–1950), English fiction writer and essayist
• Erminda Rentoul Esler (c.1852–1924), Irish fiction writer
• Florbela Espanca (1894–1930), Portuguese poet
• Teresa Espasa (living), Spanish Valencian poet, essayist and professor
• Kristin Espinasse (born 1968), author
• Laura Esquivel (born 1950), Mexican novelist; Like Water for Chocolate
• Eleanor Estes (1906–1988), US children's writer; The Moffats, Ginger Pye
• Clarissa Pinkola Estés (born 1945), US poet
• Parvin E'tesami (1907–1941), Persian poet of Iran
• Aelia Eudocia (c. 401–460), Byzantine religious writer in Greek
• Jang Eun-jin (born 1976), Korean author
• Lolita Euson (1914–1994), St. Eustatian and Arubian poet
• Janet Evanovich (born 1943), US novelist; Stephanie Plum series
• Anne Evans (1820–1870), English poet and composer
• Augusta Jane Evans (1835–1909), US novelist
• Diana Omo Evans (born c. 1971), British novelist, journalist and critic
• Mari Evans (born 1923), US poet, playwright and children's writer
• Matilda Jane Evans (Maud Jean Franc, 1827–1886), Australian novelist
• Lizzie P. Evans-Hansell (born 1836), US fiction writer
• Bernardine Evaristo (living), English writer
• Maria Louise Eve (born 1848), US poet
• Emma Pike Ewing (1838–1917), US educator, author
• Juliana Horatia Ewing (1841–1885), English children's writer
• Leonora Eyles (1889–1960), English feminist writer and novelist

F

• Mary Fabilli (1914–2011), US poet and illustrator
• Diane Fahey (born 1945), Australian poet
• Aminata Sow Fall (born 1941), Senegalese novelist
• Amber Fallon, horror writer
• Katie Fallon (born 1976), essayist and non-fiction writer
• Diane Fanning (living), US true crime author and novelist
• Ann, Lady Fanshawe (1625–1680), English memoirist
• Catherine Maria Fanshawe (1765–1834), English poet
• Ursula Fanthorpe (1929–2009), English poet
• Nancy Farmer (born 1941), US young adult and children's novelist; The Ear, the Eye and the Arm
• Penelope Farmer (born 1939), English children's novelist; Charlotte Sometimes
• Forough Farrokhzad (1935–1967), Iranian poet and film director
• Margaretta Faugères (1771–1801), US poet
• Gertrude Minnie Faulding (1875–1961), English novelist and children's writer
• Jesse Redmon Fauset (1882–1961), US poet, essayist and novelist; Plum Bun
• Madame de La Fayette (1634–1693), French novelist; La Princesse de Clèves
• Astrid Stampe Feddersen (1852–1930), Danish women's rights activist and feminist writer
• Etta Federn (1883–1951), Austrian anarcho-feminist writer and translator from many languages
• Leslie Feinberg (1949–2014), US transgender activist and writer; Stone Butch Blues
• Elaine Feinstein (born 1930), English poet, novelist and translator of Russian poetry
• Else Feldmann (1884–1942), Austrian playwright, poet and novelist
• Stéphanie Félicité, comtesse de Genlis (Madame de Genlis; 1746–1830), French novelist, playwright and children's writer
• Zuo Fen (c. 255–300), Chinese poet
• Edna Ferber (1885–1968), US novelist and playwright; Show Boat
• Charlene "Charlie" Fern (born 1968), US speechwriter to Laura Bush
• Fanny Fern (1811–1872), US columnist, humorist, novelist, and children's writer; Ruth Hall
• Roberta Fernández (living), US novelist, scholar, critic and arts advocate
• Chitra Fernando (1935–1998), Sri Lankan children's writer and lecturer on linguistics
• Elena Ferrante (born 1943), Italian novelist; Neapolitan Novels series
• Rosario Ferré (1938–2016), US novelist, poet and biographer
• Julia Ferrer (1925–1995), Peruvian poet and writer
• Susan Edmonstoune Ferrier (1782–1854), Scottish novelist
• Maria Fetherstonhaugh (1847–1918), English novelist
• Tina Fey (born 1970), US screenwriter, actress and autobiographer; Bossypants
• Rachel Field (1894–1942), US novelist, poet and children's writer; Hitty, Her First Hundred Years
• Helen Fielding (born 1958), English novelist; Bridget Jones's Diary
• Sarah Fielding (1710–1768), English novelist
• Jennie Fields (born 1953), US novelist
• Celia Fiennes (1662–1741), English travel writer
• Sia Figiel (born 1967), Samoan poet and novelist
• Adelaide Filleul (1761–1836), French novelist
• Anne Finch (Countess of Winchilsea, 1661–1720), English poet
• Annie Finch (born 1956), US poet, translator and critic
• Anne Fine (born 1947), English writer
• Margery Fish (1892–1969), English gardening writer
• Carrie Fisher (1956–2016), US actress, novelist and screenwriter; Postcards from the Edge
• M. F. K. Fisher (1908–1992), US food writer
• Penelope Fitzgerald (1916–2000), English novelist, poet and biographer; 1979 Booker Prize; Offshore
• Louise Fitzhugh (1928–1974), US author and illustrator of children's books; Harriet the Spy
• Becca Fitzpatrick (born 1979), US novelist
• Fannie Flagg (born 1944), US screenwriter and novelist; Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
• Jane Flanders (1940–2001), US poet
• Marieluise Fleißer (1901–1974), German playwright
• Marjorie (Marjory) Fleming (1803–1811), Scottish child diarist and poet
• Penelope Fletcher (born 1988), young-adult, romance and fantasy writer
• Zénaïde Fleuriot (1829–1890), French novelist
• Lynn Flewelling (born 1958), US novelist; Nightrunner
• Angela Flournoy (living), US novelist
• Carol Houlihan Flynn (born 1945), US academic, literary critic and fiction writer
• Gillian Flynn (born 1971), US novelist, screenwriter and comic book writer; Gone Girl
• Marnie Fogg (living), fashion writer
• Jolán Földes (1902–1963), Hungarian novelist
• Winifred Foley (1914–2009), English autobiographer
• Maria Assumpció Soler i Font (1913–2004), Catalan writer and journalist
• Moderata Fonte (1555–1592), Venetian feminist writer and poet; The Worth of Women
• Donna Foote (born 1950), journalist and non-fiction writer
• Mary Hallock Foote (1847–1938), US novelist
• Curdella Forbes (living), Jamaican science fiction writer
• Esther Forbes (1891–1967), US novelist and children's writer; Johnny Tremain
• Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force (1654–1724), French novelist and poet
• Aminatta Forna, OBE (born 1964), Scottish writer of Sierra Leone descent
• Olga Forsh (1873–1961), Russian-Soviet writer; Palace and Prison
• Margaret Forster (born 1938), English novelist and biographer
• Gertrud von Le Fort (1876–1971), German novelist, poet and essayist
• Hannah Webster Foster (1758–1840), US novelist; The Coquette
• Dorothy Fowler (living), New Zealand novelist
• Karen Joy Fowler (born 1950), US fiction writer
• Mamita Fox (born 1943), Curaçao-born autobiographer from Dutch Caribbean
• Janet Frame (1924–2004), New Zealand novelist and autobiographer
• Marie de France (fl. 12th century), poet in Anglo-Norman French
• Annie Francé-Harrar (1886–1971), Austrian writer and scientist
• Suzanne Francis (born 1959), English fantasy author
• Julia Franck (born 1970), German novelist
• Veronica Franco (1546–1591), Italian poet and courtesan
• Louise von François (1817–1893), German novelist
• Anne Frank (Anna, 1929–1945), German-born Dutch diarist; The Diary of a Young Girl
• Miles Franklin (1879–1954), Australian feminist writer; My Brilliant Career
• Abby Franquemont (born 1972), US writer
• Rebecca Fransway (born 1953), US author and poet
• Antonia Fraser (born 1932), English genre novelist and biographer; Mary, Queen of Scots
• Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman (1852–1930), US fiction writer
• Raquel Freire (born 1973), Portuguese film director, screenwriter and novelist
• Laura Freixas (born 1958), Spanish fiction writer and newspaper columnist
• Elizabeth Wynne Fremantle (1778–1857), English diarist
• Lucy Virginia French (1825–1881), US author
• Marilyn French (1929–2009), US feminist author, academic and lecturer; The Women's Room
• Anna Freud (1895–1982), Austro-British psychoanalytic writer
• Betty Friedan (1921–2006), US writer, activist and feminist; The Feminine Mystique
• Violeta Friedman (1930–2000), author and Holocaust survivor
• Gayleen Froese (born 1972), Canadian mystery novelist and songwriter
• Eva Margareta Frölich (1650–1692), Swedish writer
• Linda Frum (born 1963), Canadian Senator, author and journalist
• Joan Mary Fry (1862–1955), English Quaker writer on society
• Janice Moore Fuller (born 1951), US poet and playwright
• Claire Fuller (living), English novelist
• Margaret Fuller (1810–1850), US feminist journalist
• Mary Eliza Fullerton (1868–1946), Australian feminist poet, short story writer, journalist and novelist
• Alice Fulton (born 1952), US author, poet
• Enchi Fumiko (Fumi Ueda, 1905–1986), Japanese playwright, fiction writer
• Cornelia Funke (born 1958), German children's writer; The Thief Lord, Inkheart trilogy
• Bilkisu Funtuwa (living), Nigerian novelist
• Huarui Furen (fl. mid–10th century), Chinese poet

G

• Diana Gabaldon (born 1952), US fiction writer; Outlander series
• Ekaterine Gabashvili (1851–1938), Georgian feminist novelist
• Frances Dana Barker Gage (1808–1884), US writer, poet and abolitionist
• Jeannine Hall Gailey (born 1973), US poet and critic
• Mary Gaitskill (born 1954), US essayist, fiction writer
• Kate Gale (born 1965), US poet, librettist and independent publisher
• Zona Gale (1874–1938), US novelist and playwright
• Azucena Galettini, Argentinean translator and writer
• Tess Gallagher (born 1943), US poet, novelist and playwright
• Mavis Gallant (1922–2014), Canadian-French fiction writer, playwright and essayist
• Karina Galvez (born 1964), Ecuadorian poet
• Alisa Ganieva (pseudonym Gulla Khirachev, born 1985), Russian writer and essayist
• Petina Gappah (born 1971), Zimbabwean lawyer and writer
• Nicole Garay (1873–1928), Panamanian poet
• Cristina García (born 1958), Cuban-US journalist and novelist; Dreaming in Cuban
• R. S. A. Garcia, Trinidadian science fiction writer
• Jane Gardam (born 1928), English author of children's and adult fiction
• Marguerite Gardiner, Countess of Blessington (1789–1849), Irish novelist and journalist
• Malwina Garfeinowa-Garska (1870–1932), Polish novelist and essayist
• Helen Garner (born 1942), Australian novelist and journalist; The Children's Bach
• Constance Garnett (1861–1946), English translator from Russian
• Dorothy Garrod (1892–1968), English archaeologist
• Caroline Leigh Gascoigne (1813–1883), English poet and novelist
• Elizabeth Gaskell (1810–1865), English novelist and biographer; Cranford
• Whitney Gaskell (born 1972), US novelist
• Nathalie Gassel (born 1964), Belgian feminist writer
• Alessia Gazzola (born 1982), Italian novelist
• Pauline Gedge (born 1945), Canadian genre novelist
• Naira Gelashvili (born 1947), Georgian novelist, activist
• Edith Mary Gell (1860–1944), English writer and Christian activist.
• Charley Genever (living), poet
• Empress Genmei (660–721), Japanese monarch and poet
• Catherine of Genoa (St. Catherine, 1447–1510), Genoese writer and mystic
• Nina George (born 1973), German writer
• Elizabeth George (born 1949), US mystery novelist; The Inspector Lynley Mysteries
• Margaret George (born 1943), US historical novelist
• Amy Gerstler (born 1956), US poet
• Hee Geum (born 1979), Korean author
• Yi Geun-hwa (born 1976), Korean poet
• Amélie Gex (1835–1883), French poet and writer in French and Franco-Provençal
• Randa Ghazy (born 1987), Italian Egyptian writer
• Maureen Gibbon (living), US fiction writer
• Kaye Gibbons (born 1960), US novelist; Ellen Foster
• Stella Gibbons (1902–1989), English novelist, journalist and short story writer; Cold Comfort Farm
• Angelica Gibbs (1908–1955), US fiction writer and magazine journalist
• Elizabeth Gilbert (born 1969), US essayist, fiction writer and biographer; Eat, Pray, Love
• Ellen Gilchrist (born 1935), US fiction writer and poet
• ElizaBeth Gilligan (1962–2017), US fantasy novelist
• Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860–1935), US sociologist, poet and lecturer on social reform; Herland
• Mary Gilmore (1865–1962), Australian socialist poet and journalist
• Beryl Gilroy (1924–2001), Guyanese novelist
• Nikki Giovanni (born 1943), African-US poet, writer and activist
• Stanka Gjurić (born 1956), Croatian poet and essayist
• Diane Glancy (born 1941), US poet, novelist and playwright
• Ellen Glasgow (1873–1945), US novelist
• Susan Glaspell (1876–1948), US novelist and playwright
• Julia Glass (born 1956), US novelist; Three Junes
• Madeline Gleason (1903–1979), US poet and dramatist
• Louise Glück (born 1943), US poet; 42nd US Poet Laureate
• Gail Godwin (born 1937), US fiction and non-fiction writer and librettist; Glass People
• Christiane Gohl (born 1958), children's author
• Nora Gold (born 1952), Canadian novelists
• Natalie Goldberg (born 1948), US non-fiction writer and speaker; Writing Down the Bones
• Goldie Goldbloom (born 1964), Australian fiction writer
• Marita Golden (born 1950), African-US novelist and non-fiction writer
• Amy Goldin (1926–1978), US art critic
• Emma Goldman (1869–1940), Lithuanian-US anarchist writer
• Júlia Goldman (born 1974), Hungarian genre novelist and mathematician
• Claire Goll (1890–1977), German-born poet and novelist writing in German and French
• Jewelle Gomez (born 1948), US poet, critic and playwright
• Petronila Angélica Gómez (1883–1971), Dominican Republic feminist writer and founder editor-in-chief of Fémina
• Lorna Goodison (born 1947), Jamaican poet
• Allegra Goodman (born 1967), US fiction writer; Kaaterskill Falls
• Nadine Gordimer (1923–2014), South African novelist, playwright and activist; 1991 Nobel Prize in Literature
• Caroline Gordon (1895–1981), US novelist and literary critic
• Jaimy Gordon (born 1944), US novelist; Lord of Misrule
• Mary Gordon (born 1949), US fiction and non-fiction writer
• Catherine Gore (1799–1861), English novelist and dramatist
• Alisz Goriupp (1894–1979), Hungarian librarian and media historian
• Hedwig Gorski (born 1949), US performance poet and avant-garde artist
• Hiromi Goto (born 1966), Canadian novelist
• Olympe de Gouges (1748–1793), French activist, feminist and playwright; Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen
• Katherine Govier (born 1948), Canadian fiction writer and essayist
• Barbara Gowdy (born 1950), Canadian fiction writer; The Romantic
• Kodagina Gowramma (1912–1939), Indian writer
• Annie Ryder Gracey (1836–1908), US writer
• Posie Graeme-Evans (born 1952), English-Australian historical novelist and screenwriter
• Agnieszka Graff (born 1970), Polish feminist academic writer and essayist
• Françoise de Graffigny (1695–1758), French novelist and playwright
• Sue Grafton (born 1940), US mystery novelist; Kinsey Millhone series ("A" Is for Alibi, etc.)
• Jorie Graham (born 1950), US poet and academic; 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
• Lauren Graham (born 1967), US actress and novelist
• Virginia Graham (1910–1993), English poet and humorist
• Almudena Grandes (born 1960), Spanish novelist
• Linda Grant (born 1951), English novelist and journalist; When I Lived in Modern Times
• Shirley Ann Grau (born 1929), US fiction writer; 1965 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
• Mary Tenney Gray (1833–1904), US editorial writer
• Gertrud von Helfta (1256–c. 1302), saint and mystic writing in Latin
• Anna Katharine Green (1846–1935), US mystery novelist; Marked "Personal"
• Miriam Green (living), South African academic now living in England
• Bette Greene (born 1934), US author of children and young adult's books
• Jessie Greengrass (born 1982), English fiction writer
• Bonnie Greer (born 1948), US-British playwright, novelist and critic
• Debora Greger (born 1949), US poet and visual artist
• Linda Gregg (born 1942), US poet
• Simonetta Greggio (born 1961), Italian-born novelist writing in French
• Doris Gregory, Canadian author
• Lady Gregory (1852–1932), Irish folklore reviver and playwright
• Catharina Regina von Greiffenberg (1633–1694), Austrian poet
• Kate Grenville (born 1950), Australian novelist and academic; The Secret River
• Elizabeth Griffith (c. 1727–1793), Irish dramatist, fiction writer and essayist
• Tatiana P. Grigorieva (1929–2014), Russian essayist, Japanologist and translator
• Martha Grimes (born 1931), US mystery novelist; Richard Jury series
• Angelina Weld Grimke (1880–1958), US journalist and poet
• Charlotte Forten Grimké (1837–1914), US anti-slavery activist and poet
• Eliza Griswold (born 1973), US journalist and poet
• Hattie Tyng Griswold (1842–1909), US writer, poet
• Lauren Groff (born 1978), US fiction writer; Fates and Furies
• Paula Grogger (1892–1984), Austrian writer
• Sara Gruen (born 1969), Canadian-US novelist; Water for Elephants
• Kim Gruenenfelder (living), US romantic comedy novelist
• Bertha Jane Grundy (1837–1912), English novelist, poet and non-fiction writer
• Claudine Guérin de Tencin (1682–1749), French literary patron and novelist
• Judith Guest (born 1936), US novelist and screenwriter; Ordinary People
• Pernette Du Guillet (c. 1520–1545), French poet
• Ursula K. Le Guin (1929–2018), US science fiction and children's novelist, poet and essayist; Earthsea
• Guji, Princess of Joseon (died 1489), Korean writer, poet and dancer
• Karoline von Günderrode (1780–1806), German poet
• Eileen Gunn (born 1945), US short story writer and editor
• Elizabeth Gunn (living), US mystery novelist
• Susannah Gunning (c. 1740–1800), English novelist
• Álfrún Gunnlaugsdóttir (born 1938), Icelandic novelist
• Elena Guro (1877–1913), Russian Futurist writer; The Little Camels of the Sky
• Goya Gutiérrez (born 1954), Spanish poet and writer
• Anna Gutto (born 1977), Norwegian director, artistic director and actress
• Rosa Guy (1922–2012), Trinidad-born US writer of fiction for adults and young people
• Emma Jane Guyton (1825–1887), English novelist and editor
• Yaa Gyasi (born 1989), a Ghanaian-US novelist
• Jeon Gyeong-rin (born 1962), Korean novelist
• Beth Gylys (born 1964), US poet and professor

H

• H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) (1886–1961), US poet, novelist and memoirist
• Meredith Haaf (born 1983), writer
• Maria Hack (1777–1844), English children's writer
• Marilyn Hacker (born 1942), US poet, translator and critic
• Jessica Hagedorn (born 1949), Filipino US poet, playwright and novelist
• Michitsuna no Haha (c. 935–995), Japanese diarist
• Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey (born 1938), US novelist and playwright
• Seo Hajin (born 1960), Korean author
• Gisèle Halimi (born 1927), French-Tunisian feminist essayist
• Lady Anne Halkett (1623–1699), English memoirist and religious essayist
• Anna Maria (Mrs S. C.) Hall (1800–1881), Irish novelist
• Radclyffe Hall (1880–1943), English novelist and poet; The Well of Loneliness
• Sarah Hall (born 1974), English novelist and poet
• Jean Halley (born 1967), US writer and sociologist
• Marion Rose Halpenny (living), English equestrian writer; British Racing and Racecourses
• Jane Eaton Hamilton (born 1954), Canadian short fiction writer and poet
• Jane Hamilton (born 1957), US novelist; A Map of the World
• Virginia Hamilton (1936–2002), US children's novelist; M. C. Higgins, the Great
• Beatrice Hammer (born 1963), French novelist and children's writer
• Judith Hand (born 1940), US novelist, essayist, and screenwriter
• Nathalie Handal (born 1969), Haitian-born US poet and playwright of Palestinian descent
• Helene Hanff (1916–1997), US screenwriter and author; 84, Charing Cross Road
• Kristin Hannah (born 1960), US novelist; The Nightingale
• Sophie Hannah (born 1971), English poet and novelist; Little Face
• Lorraine Hansberry (1930–1965), US playwright; A Raisin in the Sun
• Bergtóra Hanusardóttir (born 1946), Faroese fiction writer
• Volha Hapeyeva (born 1982), poet, translator and linguist
• Ingibjörg Haraldsdóttir (born 1942), Icelandic poet
• Nino Haratischwili (born 1983), Georgian novelist, playwright
• Elizabeth Boynton Harbert (1843–1925), US author
• Thea von Harbou (1888–1954), German novelist and screenwriter
• Maud Cuney Hare (1874–1936), US pianist, musicologist, writer
• Joy Harjo (born 1951), US poet
• Frances Harper (1825–1911), US poet and novelist; Iola Leroy
• Alice Harriman (1861–1925), US poet, and publisher; A Man of Two Countries
• Amanda Bartlett Harris (1824–1917), US author and literary critic
• Joanne Harris (born 1964), English novelist; Chocolat
• Juanita Harrison (1891–?), African-US writer known her autobiography, My Great, Wide, Beautiful World
• Carla Harryman (born 1952), US poet, essayist, and playwright; associated with the language poets
• Petra Hartmann (born 1970), German journalist, novelist and children's writer
• Elisabeth Harvor (born 1936), Canadian novelist and poet
• Gwen Harwood (1920–1995), Australian poet and librettist
• Margaret Hasse (born 1950), US poet and writer
• Mary R. P. Hatch (1848–1935), US poet, novelist, short story writer
• Mihri Hatun (died 1506), female Ottoman poet
• Marlen Haushofer (1920–1970), Austrian novelist and children's author
• Paula Hawkins (born 1972), Zimbabwean-English author; The Girl on the Train
• Elizabeth Hay (born 1951), Canadian fiction writer; Late Nights on Air
• Eliza Haywood (1693–1756), English novelist, playwright and poet
• Helen Haywood (1907–1995), English children's writer
• Shirley Hazzard (1931–2016), US novelist and fiction writer; The Great Fire
• Bessie Head (1937–1986), Botswanan novelist, journalist and short story writer
• Anne Hébert (1916–2000), Canadian poet and novelist; Kamouraska
• Chantal Hébert (born 1954), Canadian journalist and political commentator
• Jennifer Michael Hecht (born 1965), US poet, historian and philosopher
• Ra Heeduk (born 1966), Korean poet
• Ursula Hegi (born 1946), German US novelist
• Lyn Hejinian (born 1941), US poet, essayist and translator
• Lin Van Hek (born 1944), Australian novelist
• Guðrún Helgadóttir (born 1935), Icelandic children's writer
• Lillian Hellman (1905–1984), US playwright
• Lucinda Barbour Helm (1839–1897), US author, editor
• Felicia Hemans (1793–1835), English-born Welsh poet writing in English
• Beth Henley (born 1952), US playwright and screenwriter
• Emmy Hennings (1885–1948), German poet and performer
• Marguerite Henry (1902–1997), US children's literature writer
• Luise Hensel (1798–1876), German religious writer and poet
• Sally Hepworth (born 1980), Australian writer
• Mary Sidney Herbert (1561–1621), English poet, translator and patron
• María Luisa Ocampo Heredia (1899–1974), Mexican novelist, playwright and translator
• Judith Hermann (born 1970), German story writer
• Georgina Herrera (born 1936), Cuban poet
• M. Miriam Herrera (living), US author and poet
• Stella K. Hershan (1915–2014), Austrian-US novelist and biographer
• Karen Hesse (born 1952), US children's novelist; Out of the Dust
• Dorothy Hewett (1923–2002), Australian feminist poet, novelist and playwright
• Eleanor Hibbert (1906–1993), English historical novelist (countless pseudonyms); Murder Most Royal
• Patricia Highsmith (1921–1995), US crime fiction writer; Strangers on a Train
• Lorna Hill (1902–1991), English children's novelist
• Hilda Hilst (1930–2004), Brazilian poet, playwright and novelist
• S. E. Hinton (born 1948), US children's novelist; The Outsiders
• Afua Hirsch (born 1981), British writer and broadcaster
• Laura Z. Hobson (1900–1986), US novelist
• Karla Höcker (1901–1992), German novelist and biographer
• Merle Hodge (born 1944), Trinidadian novelist and critic
• Louise Manning Hodgkins (1846–1935), US educator, author, editor
• Alice Hoffman (born 1952), US novelist and young-adult and children's writer; Practical Magic
• Nina Kiriki Hoffman (born 1955), US fiction writer
• Barbara Hofland (1770–1844), English children's writer and poet
• Linda Hogan (born 1947), US poet, fiction writer
• Heidi Holland (1947–2012), South African journalist and author
• Gwen Hollington (1919–2014), English translator
• Charlie N. Holmberg (born 1988), US author of fantasy
• Constance Holme (1880–1955), English novelist and playwright
• Winifred Holtby (1898–1935), English novelist and journalist
• Xiao Hong (1911–1942), Chinese fiction writer
• Bell Hooks (born 1952), US feminist academic
• Ellen Sturgis Hooper (1812–1848), US poet, member of the Transcendental Club
• Pauline Hopkins (1859–1930), US novelist, journalist and playwright
• Nalo Hopkinson (born 1960), Jamaican-Canadian fiction writer
• Marya Hornbacher (born 1974), US author and freelance journalist
• Janette Turner Hospital (born 1942), Australian fiction writer
• Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston (born 1934), US author; Farewell to Manzanar
• Fanny Howe (born 1940), US poet and fiction writer
• Julia Ward Howe (1819–1910), US abolitionist, social activist, and poet; The Battle Hymn of the Republic
• Susan Howe (born 1937), US poet, scholar, essayist and critic; closely associated with the language poets
• Ada Verdun Howell (1902–1981), Australian US poet
• Anna Mary Howitt (1824–1884), English writer and feminist
• Mary Howitt (1799–1888), English poet and children's writer; "The Spider and the Fly"
• Ana María Vázquez Hoys (born 1945), Spanish ancient history professor
• Elizabeth Hoyt (penname Julia Harper, living), writer of historical romance
• Hrotsvith von Gandersheim (c. 935–c. 1002), German dramatist and poet writing in Latin
• Ricarda Huch (1864–1947), German historian, novelist and poet
• Arianna Huffington (born 1950), Greek-US author and columnist; The Huffington Post
• Lynn Huggins-Cooper (born 1964)
• Babette Hughes (1906–1982), US playwright
• Frieda Hughes (born 1960), English poet and painter
• Xu Hui (627–650), Chinese poet
• Shirley Fenton Huie (1924–2016), Australian non-fiction writer
• Lin Huiyin (1904–1955), Chinese architect and writer
• Keri Hulme (born 1947), New Zealand fiction writer and poet; 1985 Booker Prize; The Bone People
• Marie-Thérèse Humbert (born 1940), Mauritian fiction writer
• Vilma Rose Hunt (1926–2012)
• Marsha Hunt (born 1946), US actress, singer and novelist
• Kristin Hunter (1931–2008), African-US novelist
• Constance Hunting (1925–2006), US poet and publisher
• Florence Huntley (1861–1912), US journalist, editor and humorist
• Dương Thu Hương (born 1947), Vietnamese dissident and novelist; Paradise of the Blind
• Hồ Xuân Hương (1772–1822), Vietnamese poet
• Fannie Hurst (1885–1968), US novelist
• Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960), US fiction writer, folklorist and anthropologist; Their Eyes Were Watching God
• Nancy Huston (born 1953), Canadian novelist and essayist writing in French and English
• Genevieve L. Hutchinson (1883–1974), New England poet
• Lucy Hutchinson (1620–1681), English biographer
• Elspeth Huxley (1907–1997), English-Kenyan memoirist and journalist
• Lee Hye-gyeong (1960), Korean poet
• Yun-I Hyeong (born 1976), Korean author
• Hypatia (c. AD 350/370–415), Greek philosopher and mathematician

I

• Eva Ibbotson (1925–2010), Austrian-born British novelist
• Nilima Ibrahim (1921–2002), Bangladeshi writer
• Ida, Countess of Hahn-Hahn (1805–1880), German novelist
• Jung Ihyun (born 1972), Korean author
• Lempi Ikävalko (1901–1994), Finnish poet and journalist
• Bassey Ikpi (born 1976), Nigerian spoken-word poet, writer and mental health advocate
• Branislava Ilić (born 1970), Serbian playwright, screenwriter and prose writer
• Maria Ilnicka (c.1825–1897), Polish poet, novelist and translator
• Im Yunjidang (1721–1793), Korean scholar, philosopher and non-fiction writer
• Jahanara Imam (1929–1994), Bangladeshi non-fiction writer, diarisT and political activist
• Vera Inber (1890–1972), Russian poet, essayist and translator
• Elizabeth Inchbald (1753–1821), English novelist, actress and dramatist; Lovers' Vows
• M. K. Indira (1917–1994), Kannada novelist
• Rachel Ingalls (born 1940), US novelist; Mrs. Caliban
• Jean Ingelow (1820–1897), English poet
• Bozenna Intrator (born 1964), Polish-US novelist, poet and playwright writing in German, Polish and English
• Sylvia Iparraguirre (born 1947), Argentine novelist
• Ōtomo no Sakanoe no Iratsume (c. 700–750), Japanese poet
• Inez Haynes Irwin (1873–1970), Brazilian-born US fiction writer, non-fiction writer and journalist
• Ulla Isaksson (1916–2000), Swedish novelist, short story writer and screenwriter
• Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz (1943–2012), Cuban-US theologist and non-fiction writer
• Svetlana Ischenko (born 1969), Ukrainian poet, translator and actress
• Lady Ise (c. 875–c. 938), Japanese poet
• Aleksandra Ishimova (1805–1881), Russian children's writer and translator
• Elizabeth Isichei (born 1939), Nigerian author, historian and academic
• Nina Iskrenko (1951–1995), Russian poet
• Rashidah Ismaili (born 1941), Benin-born US poet, fiction writer and playwright
• Gerta Ital (1904–1988), German non-fiction writer
• Frances Itani (born 1942), Canadian novelist, poet and essayist
• Nora Iuga (born 1931), Romanian poet, writer and translator
• Lidiya Ivanova (1936–2007), Russian journalist and television presenter
• Praskovya Ivanovskaya (1852–1935), Russian revolutionary and memoirist
• Eowyn Ivey (living), US novelist; The Snow Child
• Molly Ivins (born 1944), US columnist
• Helen Ivory (born 1969), English poet
• Princess Iwa (4th or 5th century), Japanese poet

J

• Noni Jabavu (1931–2008), South African memoirist and journalist
• Helen Hunt Jackson (1830–1885), US novelist; Ramona
• Shelley Jackson (born 1963), Filipino US fiction writer and essayist; Patchwork Girl
• Shirley Jackson (1916–1965), US fiction writer; The Lottery
• Harriet Jacobs (1813–1897), US memoir writer; Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
• Annie Jacobsen (born 1967), US investigative journalist and non-fiction author; Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base
• Josephine Jacobsen (1908–2003), US poet, short story writer and critic; 21st US Poet Laureate
• Agnes E. Jacomb (1866–1949), English novelist
• Frances Jacson (1754–1842), English novelist
• Kim Jae-Young (born 1966), South Korean writer and academic
• Ada Jafarey (born 1924), Pakistani Urdu poet
• Rona Jaffe (1932–2005), US novelist; The Best of Everything
• Dorta Jagić (born 1974), Croatian poet and writer
• Meenakshi Jain (living), Indian historian
• Svava Jakobsdóttir (1930–2004), Icelandic playwright and short story writer
• Alice James (1848–1892), US diarist
• P. D. James (born 1920), English mystery novelist; Cover Her Face
• Anna Brownell Jameson (1794–1860), Irish-born English writer on art and literature
• Elizabeth Janeway (1913–2005), US novelist
• Éva Janikovszky (1926–2003), Hungarian author of children's books
• Tama Janowitz (born 1957), US novelist, short story writer and screenwriter; Slaves of New York
• Anja Jantschik (born 1969), German writer and journalist
• Florence Page Jaques (1890–1972), US writer of nature and travel books
• Lisa Jarnot (born 1967), US poet
• Bella Jarrett (1926–2007), romance author and actress
• Jefimija (1349–1405), Serbian poet
• Andrea Jeftanovic (born 1970), Chilean author, sociologist and academic
• Gertrude Jekyll (1843–1932), English garden writer
• Elfriede Jelinek (born 1946), Austrian playwright and novelist; 2004 Nobel Prize in Literature; The Piano Teacher
• Joyce Angela Jellison (born 1969), US author
• Gish Jen (born 1956), US writer
• Elizabeth Jennings (1926–2001), English poet
• Choi Jeong-rye (born 1955), Korean poet
• Ana de Jesús (1545–1621), Spanish writer, poet and nun
• Lisa Jewell (born 1968), English author of popular fiction.
• Sarah Orne Jewett (1849–1909), US fiction writer
• Geraldine Jewsbury (1812–1880), English novelist
• Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (born 1927), German-US novelist and screenwriter; Heat and Dust
• Paulette Jiles (born 1943), US-Canadian poet and novelist
• Qiu Jin (1875–1907), Chinese revolutionary, feminist and writer
• Hao Jingfang (born 1984), Chinese novelist
• Chen Jingrong (1917–1989), Chinese poet
• Empress Jitō (645–702), Japanese poet and empress
• Rita Joe (born 1932), Canadian poet
• Oddvør Johansen (born 1941), Faroese novelist
• Catherine Johnson (born 1962), English author and screenwriter
• Catherine Johnson (born 1957), English playwright
• Diane Johnson (born 1934), US novelist and essayist; Le Divorce
• Georgia Douglas Johnson (1877–1966), US poet
• Helene Johnson (1906–1995), US poet
• Josephine Johnson (1910–1990), US novelist, poet, and essayist; 1935 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
• Kate Johnson (born c. 1980), English novelist
• Pauline Johnson (1861–1913), Canadian poet
• Susannah Willard Johnson (1729–1810), US memoirist
• Velda Johnston (1912–1997), US writer of Gothic romance novels
• Mary Johnston (1870–1936), US novelist
• Diana Wynne Jones (born 1934), English novelist, primarily of fantasy
• Gayl Jones (born 1949), US novelist
• Sandy Jones (born 1943), US parenting writer
• Tayari Jones (born 1970), US novelist
• Erica Jong (born 1942), US novelist; Fear of Flying
• Ingrid Jonker (1933–1965), South African poet
• Kishi Joō (929–985), Japanese poet
• June Jordan (1936–2002), US poet, novelist and autobiographer
• Irena Jordanova (born 1980), Macedonian author
• Jenny Joseph (born 1932), English poet
• Irma Joubert (born 1947), South African author
• Heidi Julavits (born 1968), US journalist and novelist
• Lucie Julia (born 1927), Guadeloupean poet and novelist
• Miranda July (born 1974), US writer and performance artist
• Hwang Jung-eun (born 1976), South Korean author and podcaster
• Dorothy Misener Jurney (1909–2002), US journalist writing on women's issues

K

• Jane Kaberuka (born 1956), Ugandan writer of fiction and autobiography
• Margit Kaffka (1880–1918), Hungarian novelist and poet
• Elaine Kahn (living), poet and author
• Nyana Kakoma (living), Ugandan writer, editor, blogger and publisher
• Ana Kalandadze (1924–2008), influential Georgian poet
• Sheema Kalbasi (born 1972), Iranian poet, critic and human rights advocate
• Zaruhi Kalemkaryan (1871–1971), prose
• Keturah Kamugasa (died 2017), Ugandan writer and journalist
• Meena Kandasamy (born 1984), Indian poet, fiction writer and translator
• Julie Kane (born 1952), US poet, scholar and editor; Louisiana Poet Laureate 2011–13
• Sarah Kane (1971–1999), English playwright
• Lila Rose Kaplan (born 1980), playwright
• Anna Louisa Karsch (1722–1791), German poet and letter writer
• Lady Kasa (early 8th century), Japanese poet
• Marie Luise Kaschnitz (1901–1974), German novelist and poet
• Nina Kasniunas (born 1972), US political scientist, author and professor
• Kassia (810 – pre-865), Byzantine poet and composer writing in Greek
• Hoda Katebi, Iranian-American fashion blogger and activist
• Gina Kaus (1893–1985), Austrian novelist and screenwriter
• Julia Kavanagh (1824–1877), Irish novelist
• Jackie Kay (born 1961), Scottish poet and novelist; Trumpet
• M. M. Kaye (1908–2004), British novelist, editor and illustrator; The Far Pavilions
• Susanna Kaysen (born 1948), US author and memoirist; Girl, Interrupted
• Susanna Kearsley (born 1966), Canadian novelist
• Annie Keary (1825–1879), English novelist and poet
• Henrietta Keddie (1827–1914), Scottish novelist and children's writer
• Janice Kulyk Keefer (born 1952), Canadian novelist and poet
• Antigone Kefala (born 1935), Australian poet and prose-writer of Greek-Romanian heritage
• Helen Keller (1880–1968), US lecturer, essayist and autobiographer; Light in my Darkness
• Linda Kelly (born 1936), English historian of 18th–19th-century romanticism
• Gene Kemp (1926–2015), English children's writer
• Oonya Kempadoo (born 1966), British novelist
• Margery Kempe (c. 1373–1438), English autobiographer and mystic
• Latofat Kenjaeva (born 1950), Tajik poet, writer and journalist
• Betty Kennedy (1926–2017), Canadian broadcaster, journalist and author
• Margaret Kennedy (1896–1967), English novelist; The Constant Nymph
• Pagan Kennedy (born c. 1963), US columnist and author
• Hannah Kent (born 1985), Australian writer
• Joan Haverty Kerouac (1931–1990), US autobiographer
• Judith Kerr (1923–1919), German-born children's writer in English
• Jessie Kesson (1916–1994), Scottish writer
• Irmgard Keun (1905–1982), German novelist
• Farida Khalaf (born c. 1995), ISIS escapee and author
• Dalal Khario (born c. 1997), ISIS survivor, memoirist
• Babilina Khositashvili (1884–1973), Georgian poet, feminist
• Vénus Khoury-Ghata (born 1937), Lebanese-French writer; former Miss Beirut
• Mariam Khutsurauli (born 1960), Georgian poet and short story writer
• Nadezhda Khvoshchinskaya (1824–1889), Russian novelist; The Boarding School Girl
• Sue Monk Kidd (born 1948), US writer; The Secret Life of Bees
• Susan Nalugwa Kiguli (born 1969), Ugandan poet and literary scholar
• Emelihter Kihleng (living), Micronesian poet writing in English
• Lali Kiknavelidze (born 1969), Georgian sreenwriter and film director
• Anne Killigrew (1660–1685), English poet
• Dorothy Kilner (1755–1836), English children's writer
• Ronyoung Kim (1926–1987), Korean US writer
• Jamaica Kincaid (born 1949), Antiguan US novelist; Annie John
• Aby King (born 1977), British author and fantasy novelist
• Grace King (1852–1932), US short story writer and historian
• Tabitha King (born 1949), US novelist
• Mary Kingsley (1862–1900), English explorer and scientific writer
• Barbara Kingsolver (born 1955), US fiction writer, poet and essayist
• Maxine Hong Kingston (born 1940), Chinese US novelist and academic
• Eleanor Kirk (1831–1908), US writer and publisher
• Sarah Kirsch (born 1935), German poet and translator
• Ossip Schubin (real name Aloisia Kirschner, 1854–1934), Austrian novelist
• Madhu Kishwar (born 1951), Indian feminist
• Karin Kiwus (born 1942), German poet
• Carolyn Kizer (1925–2014), US poet; 1985 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
• Marjun Syderbø Kjelnæs (born 1974), Faroese children's writer, poet and short story writer
• Naomi Klein (born 1970), Canadian author, social activist and filmmaker; The Shock Doctrine
• Anne Knight (1792–1860), English children's writer
• Mary Norbert Körte (born 1934), American poet, teacher and environmentalist
• Joy Kogawa (born 1935), Canadian novelist and poet; Obasan
• Annette Kolb (1870–1967), German writer
• Alexandra Kollontai (1872–1952), Russian-Soviet writer and political figure; A Great Love
• Gertrud Kolmar (1894–1943), German poet
• Ono no Komachi (825–900), Japanese poet
• Anna Komnene (1083–1183), Byzantine chronicler and emperor's daughter writing in Greek; Alexiad
• Amalia Wilhelmina Königsmarck (1663–1740), Swedish noble, known as a painter, actor and poet
• Maria Konopnicka (1842–1910), Polish novelist, poet, translator and essayist
• Evgenia Konradi (1838–1898), Russian writer, essayist and journalist
• Ana Kordzaia-Samadashvili (born 1968), Georgian novelist and literary journalist
• Alice Graeme Korff (1904–1975), US art critic
• Lina Kostenko (born 1930), Ukrainian poet
• Elizabeth Kostova (born 1964), US novelist; The Historian
• Helene Kottannerin (fl. 1430s), Hungarian memoirist writing in German
• Sofia Kovalevskaya (1859–1891), Russian writer and major mathematician; Nihilist Girl
• Hanna Krall (born 1937), Polish writer, novelist and journalist
• Judith Krantz (1928–2019), US author and journalist
• Nicole Krauss (born 1974), US fiction writer, essayist and journalist; The History of Love
• Uma Krishnaswami (born 1956), children's writer
• Julia Kristeva (born 1941), Bulgarian-French critic, philosopher and novelist
• Gerður Kristný (born 1970), Icelandic poet and novelist
• Agota Kristof (1935–2011), Hungarian novelist writing in French
• Nestan Kvinikadze (born 1980), Georgian scriptwriter and dramatist
• Lidia Kulikovski (born 1951), Moldovan librarian, bibliographer and editor
• Maxine Kumin (1925–2014), US poet and children's novelist; 1973 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
• Xu Kun (born 1965), Chinese postmodern fiction writer
• Rachel Kushner (born 1968), US novelist and journalist; The Flamethrowers
• Jean Kwok, Chinese US novelist
• Shin Kyeong-nim (born 1936), South Korean writer
• Joanne Kyger (1934–2017), US poet
• Goretti Kyomuhendo (born 1965), Ugandan novelist and literary activist

L

• Mercedes Lackey (born 1950), US fantasy novelist
• Selma Lagerlöf (1858–1940), Swedish novelist and children's novelist, and 1909 Nobel Prize in Literature winner
• Jhumpa Lahiri (born 1967), Bengali-US short story writer and novelist; 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction; Interpreter of Maladies
• Sinikka Laine (born 1945), Finnish writer of young adult literature
• Laila Lalami (born 1968), Moroccan US journalist, essayist and novelist; Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits
• Lalleshwari (also Lalla, Lal Ded or Lal Arifa; 1320–1392), mystic and poet; creator of the mystic vatsun poetry, the earliest compositions in the Kashmiri language
• Lady Caroline Lamb (1785–1828), English novelist
• Helen Lamb (1956–2017), Scottish poet
• Mary Lamb (1764–1847), co-author with her brother Charles Lamb
• Alice Elinor Lambert (1886–1981), US romance novelist
• Anne Lamott (born 1954), political activist and fiction and non-fiction author
• Beatrice Lamwaka (living), Ugandan writer
• Leena Lander (born 1955), Finnish novelist
• Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L., 1802–1838), English poet and novelist
• Margaret Landon (1903–1993), US novelist; Anna and the King of Siam
• Liliane Landor (born c. 1956), Lebanese-born journalist and broadcasting executive
• Michele Landsberg (born 1939), Canadian author, feminist and social activist
• Jane Lane (Elaine Kidner Dakers, 1905–1978), British historical novelist and biographer
• Katja Lange-Müller (born 1951), German novelist
• Elisabeth Langgässer (1899–1950), German poet and novelist
• Eve Langley (1908–1974), Australian novelist
• Aemilia Lanyer (1569–1645), English poet
• Alda Lara (1930–1962), Angolan poet
• Lucy Larcom (1824–1893), American mill girl and poet
• Rebecca Hammond Lard (1772–1855), US poet; first poet of Indiana
• Claudia Lars (1899–1974), Salvadoran poet
• Nella Larsen (1891–1964), US fiction writer
• Trude Brænne Larssen (born 1967), Norwegian novelist
• Else Lasker-Schüler (1869–1945), German poet and playwright
• Ana Irma Rivera Lassén (born 1955), Puerto Rican poet, feminist writer and lawyer
• Agnes Latham (1905–1996), English writer, editor and academic
• Irene Latham (born 1971) US poet and children's writer
• Mary Artemisia Lathbury (1841–1913) US hymn writer and poet
• Virginia Lathrop (1900–1974), US journalist
• Yulia Latynina (born 1966), Russian writer; The Insider
• Evelyn Lau (born 1971), Canadian poet and novelist
• Margaret Laurence (1926–1987), Canadian fiction writer; The Stone Angel
• Dorianne Laux (born 1952), US poet
• Christine Lavant (1915–1973), Austrian poet and novelist
• Mary Lavin (1912–1996), Irish fiction writer
• Emily Lawless (1845–1913), Irish novelist and poet
• Mary Lawson (born 1946), Canadian novelist; Crow Lake
• Emma Lazarus (1849–1887), US poet; "The New Colossus" (inscribed on the Statue of Liberty)
• Jane Leade (1624–1704), English mystic
• Louisa Leaman (born 1976), English writer on education
• Mary Leapor (1722–1746), English poet
• Diana Lebacs (born 1947), Curaçaoan author known for her children's literature
• Violette Leduc (1907–1972), French novelist and autobiographer
• Harper Lee (1926–2016), US novelist; To Kill a Mockingbird
• Harriet Lee (1757–1851), English novelist and playwright
• Muna Lee (1895–1965), US poet and translator
• Sophia Lee (1750–1824), English playwright and novelist
• Tanith Lee (born 1947), English novelist, poet and screenwriter
• Joy Leftow (living), US poet
• Tuija Lehtinen (born 1954), Finnish children's writer and novelist
• Leena Lehtolainen (born 1964), Finnish crime writer
• Katerina Lemmel (1466–1533), German letter-writer and nun
• Madeleine L'Engle (1918–2007), US novelist and children's novelist; A Wrinkle in Time
• Sue Lenier (born 1957), English poet and playwright
• Rebecca Lenkiewicz (born 1968), English playwright
• Ellen Lenneck (1851–1880), German novelist and story writer
• Anna Maria Lenngren (1754–1817), Swedish writer, poet and translator
• Charlotte Lennox (c. 1730–1804), US-born English writer, poet, and dramatist
• Hélène Lenoir (born 1955), French writer
• Conchi León (born 1973), Mexican writer
• Donna Leon (born 1942), US-Italian mystery novelist
• Yva Léro (1912–2007), Afro-Martiniquais writer and artist
• Doris Leslie (1891–1982), English historical novelist and biographer
• Doris Lessing (1919–2013), English fiction writer, poet and biographer; 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature; The Golden Notebook
• Denise Levertov (1923–1997), English US poet and essayist
• Celia Moss Levetus (1819–1873), English poet and historical writer
• Gail Carson Levine (born 1947), US young-adult novelist; Ella Enchanted
• Andrea Levy (1956–2019), English novelist; Small Island
• Deborah Levy (born 1959), South African-English playwright, fiction writer and poet; Swimming Home
• Fanny Lewald (1811–1889), German novelist and feminist
• Alethea Lewis (1749–1827), English novelist
• Janet Lewis (1899–1998), US novelist
• Marina Lewycka (born 1946), British novelist of Ukrainian origin
• Anne Ley (c. 1599–1641), English writer, teacher and polemicist
• Portia Li (living), senior Chinese US reporter
• Marita Liabø (born 1971), Norwegian author
• Mechtilde Lichnowsky (1879–1958), German poet, playwright and essayist
• Erika Liebman (1738–1803), Swedish poet and academic
• Deborah Lifchitz (1907–1942), French Jewish expert on Semitic languages of Ethiopia
• Werewere Liking (born 1950), Côte d'Ivoire-based writer and playwright
• Rosa Liksom (born 1958), Finnish fiction and children's writer
• Suzanne Lilar (1901–1992), Belgian playwright, essayist and novelist writing in French
• Astrid Lindgren (1907–2002), Swedish children's novelist; Pippi Longstocking
• Merethe Lindstrøm (born 1963), Norwegian fiction writer; Days in the History of Silence
• Elizabeth Linington (1921–1988), US mystery novelist
• Kelly Link (born 1969), US short story writer and editor
• Baik Sou Linne (born 1982), South Korean fiction writer
• Rosina Lippi (born 1956), US writer
• Laura Lippman (born 1959), US crime fiction writer
• Helena Lisická (1930–2009), Czech ethnographer and writer of fairy tales and legends
• Clarice Lispector (1920–1977), Brazilian novelist; The Passion According to G.H.
• S. E. Lister (born 1988), English novelist
• Penelope Lively (born 1933), English novelist and children's writer; 1987 Booker Prize; Moon Tiger
• Dorothy Livesay (1909–1996), Canadian poet
• Teresa Lo (living), US author
• Liz Lochhead (born 1947), Scottish poet and dramatist
• Attica Locke (born 1974), US novelist
• Mirra Lokhvitskaya (1869–1905), Russian poet
• Lesley Lokko (living), Ghanaian-Scottish novelist and academic
• Pearl London (1916–2003), US supporter of literary arts and teacher of poetry
• Joan Long (born 1925), Australian screenwriter and producer
• Anita Loos (1888–1981), US screenwriter, playwright and novelist; Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
• Josefina Lopez (born 1969), Chicana playwright, screenwriter and novelist; Real Women Have Curves
• Karen Lord (born 1968), Barbadian writer of speculative fiction
• Audre Lorde (1934–1992), US poet
• Emilie Loring (1864–1951), US romance novelist
• Isabel Losada (living), English writer, actress and singer
• Laura Glen Louis (living), US author, poet and essayist
• Regina Louise (born 1963), US author, child advocate and motivational speaker
• Amy Lowell (1874–1925), US poet; 1926 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
• Lois Lowry (born 1937), US children's novelist; Number the Stars
• Mina Loy (1882–1966), English poet and artist
• Dulce María Loynaz (1902–1997), Cuban poet and novelist
• Clare Boothe Luce (1903–1987), US editor, playwright and journalist
• Maria Lugones (living), Argentine feminist philosopher, writer and academic
• Jane Lumley, Baroness Lumley (1537–1578), English translator
• Ulla-Lena Lundberg (born 1947), Finland-Swedish author
• Luo Luo (living), Chinese novelist and film director
• Alison Lurie (born 1926), US novelist and academic; Foreign Affairs
• Annabel Lyon (born 1971), Canadian fiction writer

M

• Rose Macaulay (1881–1958), English writer; The Towers of Trebizond
• Ann-Marie MacDonald (born 1958), Canadian novelist, playwright and actor; Fall on Your Knees
• Betty MacDonald (1908–1958), US writer; The Egg and I
• Helen Macdonald (born 1970) English writer, naturalist and academic; H is for Hawk
• Lilou Macé (born 1977), French-US author
• Gwendolyn MacEwen (1941–1987), Canadian novelist and poet
• Shena Mackay (born 1944), Scottish novelist
• Serena Mackesy (born 1960s), English novelist and journalist
• Mary Mackey (born 1945), US novelist, poet and academic
• Patricia MacLachlan (born 1938), US children's novelist; Sarah, Plain and Tall
• Mary MacLane (1881–1929), Canadian-US writer
• Charlotte MacLeod (1922–2005), Canadian-US novelist and mystery writer
• Debbie Macomber (born 1948), US novelist
• Katharine Sarah Macquoid (1824–1917), English novelist and travel writer
• Deirdre Madden (born 1960), Irish novelist
• Mechthild of Magdeburg (c. 1207 – c. 1282-1294), German mystic writing in Low German
• Audrey Magee (living), Irish novelist and journalist
• Nilah Magruder (living), US illustrator and writer
• Akka Mahadevi (12th century), Indian poet writing in Old Kannada
• Han Mahlsook (born 1931), Korean novelist
• Bríd Mahon (1922–2008), Irish novelist and folklorist
• Mahsati Ganjavi (c. 1089 – post-1159), Persian poet
• Jennifer Maiden (born 1949), Australian poet
• Antonine Maillet (born 1929), Canadian novelist, playwright and scholar
• Barbara Makhalisa (born 1949), Zimbabwean novelist, editor and publisher
• Eudokia Makrembolitissa (c. 1021–1096), Byzantine poet and empress writing in Greek
• Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi (living), Ugandan fiction writer
• Rosie Malek-Yonan (born 1965), Assyrian novelist, actor and filmmaker
• Gitta Mallasz (1907–1992), Hungarian author of esoteric dialogues
• Nathalie Mallet (living), Canadian science fiction and fantasy writer
• Françoise Mallet-Joris (born 1930), Belgian-French novelist and essayist
• Heather Mallick (born 1959), Canadian columnist, author and lecturer
• Emily St. John Mandel (born 1979), Canadian novelist; Station Eleven
• Richmal Mangnall (1769–1820), English schoolbook writer; Mangnall's Questions
• Delarivier Manley (c. 1670–1724), English novelist, playwrigh and political pamphleteer
• Erika Mann (1905–1969), German writer, screenwriter and actress
• Eeva-Liisa Manner (1921–1995), Finnish poet, playwright and translator
• Olivia Manning (1908–1980), English novelist; Fortunes of War
• Ruth Manning-Sanders (1886–1988), Welsh-born English poet, author and children's writer
• Chris Mansell (born 1953), Australian poet and publisher
• Katherine Mansfield (1888–1923), New Zealand-English short story writer
• Lisa Mantchev (living), US fantasy novelist
• Hilary Mantel (born 1952), English fiction writer, memoirist and essayist; 2009 and 2012 Booker Prize; Wolf Hall
• Sarah Ladipo Manyika (born 1968), British-Nigerian fiction writer and essayist
• Lee Maracle (born 1950), Canadian poet, novelist and storyteller
• Dacia Maraini (born 1936), Italian novelist, playwright, poet and journalist
• Emilie Maresse-Paul (1838–1900), Trinidadian intellectual and feminist writer
• Anna Margolin (1887–1952), Russian-US Yiddish-language poet
• Beryl Markham (1902–1986), English-born Kenyan aviator, adventurer and author; West with the Night
• Daphne Marlatt (born 1942), Canadian poet
• E. Marlitt (Eugenie John, 1825–1877), German novelist
• Monika Maron (born 1941), German essayist and political writer
• Anne de Marquets (c. 1533–1588), French poet
• Paula Contreras Márquez (1911–2008), Spanish novelist and author
• Ellen Marriage (1865–1946), English translator of Balzac's novels
• Ngaio Marsh (1895–1982), New Zealand mystery writer; Roderick Alleyn
• Paule Marshall (born 1929), US novelist
• Una Marson (1905–1965), Jamaican feminist, radio producer and poet
• Faith Martin (living), English thriller writer
• Harriet Martineau (1802–1876), English novelist and social theorist
• Lebogang Mashile (born 1979), South African actress, writer and performance poet
• Bobbie Ann Mason (born 1940), US fiction writer, essayist and critic; In Country
• Judi Ann Mason (1955–2009), US playwright, screenwriter and journalist; Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit
• Beverly Matherne (born 1946), US writer and poet
• Ana María Matute (1925–2014), Spanish novelist
• Daphne du Maurier (1907–1989), English fiction writer; Rebecca
• Megan Maxwell (born 1965), romance novelist
• DeBarra Mayo (born 1953), US bodybuilder and fitness writer
• Eleanor Mayo (1920–1981), US novelist
• Imbolo Mbue (living), Cameroon-born fiction writer
• Bunny McBride (born 1950), US writer, journalist and anthropologist
• Eimear McBride (born 1976), Irish novelist; A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing
• Anne McCaffrey (1926–2011), US science fiction novelist; Dragonriders of Pern
• Mary McCarthy (1912–1989), US novelist, critic and memoir writer
• Shirla R. McClain (1935–1997), US educator
• Jen McClanaghan (living), US poet
• Nellie McClung (1873–1951), Canadian feminist, author and social activist
• Joanna McClure (born 1930), American poet
• Elizabeth McCracken (born 1966), US novelist and editor
• Sharyn McCrumb (born 1948), US fiction writer
• Carson McCullers (1917–1967), US novelist; The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
• Colleen McCullough (1937–2015) Australian novelist; The Thorn Birds
• Alice McDermott (born 1953), US fiction writer
• Phyllis McGinley (1905–1978), US children's writer and poet; 1961 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
• Lisa McInerney (born 1981), Irish fiction writer and blogger
• Ami McKay (born 1968), Canadian novelist, playwright and journalist
• Elizabeth McKenzie (born 1958), US author and editor
• Patricia A. McKillip (born 1948), US sci-fi and fantasy writer
• Mignon McLaughlin (1913–1983), US journalist and author
• Emma McLaughlin (born 1974), US novelist
• Terry McMillan (born 1951), US novelist; Waiting to Exhale
• Martha McPhee (born 1965), US novelist; Gorgeous Lies
• Richelle Mead (born 1976), US novelist; Vampire Academy
• Gwerful Mechain (fl. 1460–1500), Welsh poet
• Saint Mechtilde of Hackeborn (1240/1241–1298), German religious writer in Latin
• Selma Meerbaum-Eisinger (1924–1942), Romanian-born German poet
• Cecília Meireles (1901–1964), Brazilian writer and educator
• Tamta Melashvili (born 1979), Georgian novelist and feminist
• Ekaterine Melikishvili (1854–1928), Georgian translator and children's writer
• Maile Meloy (born 1972), US fiction writer
• Pauline Melville (born 1948), Guyanese-born British writer and actress
• Velma Caldwell Melville (1858–1924), US editor and writer
• Eva Menasse (born 1970), Austrian novelist and journalist
• Jane Mendelsohn (born 1965), US author
• Charlotte Mendelson (born 1972), English novelist and editor
• Sophie Mereau (1770–1806), German novelist and poet
• Edna Merey-Apinda (born 1976), Gabonese writer
• Marguerite Merington (1875–1951), English-US playwright and writer of fiction and non-fiction
• Alda Merini (1931–2009), Italian writer and poet
• Louise Meriwether (born 1923), US novelist, essayist and journalist
• Fatema Mernissi (born 1940), Moroccan feminist academic
• Helen Maud Merrill (1865–1943), US woman of letters and poet
• Elizabeth Messenger (1908–1965), New Zealand journalist, cookery writer and crime novelist
• Claire Messud (born 1966), US novelist and academic; The Emperor's Children
• Grace Metalious (1924–1964), US novelist; Peyton Place
• Charlotte Mew (1869–1928), English poet; The Farmer's Bride
• Stephenie Meyer (born 1973), US novelist; The Host, Twilight Saga
• Alice Meynell (1847–1922), English feminist critic and poet
• Esther Meynell (1878–1955), English author and local historian; The Little Chronicle of Magdalena Bach
• Malwida von Meysenbug (1816–1903), German political writer and memoirist
• Anne Michaels (born 1958), Canadian novelist and poet; Fugitive Pieces
• Agnes Miegel (1879–1964), German journalist, writer and poet
• Jo Mihaly (1902–1989), German diarist, novelist and dancer
• Mitsukazu Mihara (born 1970), Japanese manga writer and artist
• Jung Mi-kyung (born 1960), Korean novelist
• Grace Mildmay (1552–1620), English diarist
• Josephine Miles (1911–1985), US poet and literary critic
• Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892–1950), US poet; 1923 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
• Caroline Miller (1903–1992), US novelist; 1934 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
• Grażyna Miller (1957–2009), Polish poet, writer and translator
• Isabel Miller (Alma Routsong, 1924–1996), US novelist; Patience and Sarah
• Kirsten Miller (born 1973), US novelist; Kiki Strike series
• Leslie Adrienne Miller (born 1956), US poet
• Madeline Miller (born 1978), US novelist
• Rebecca Miller (born 1962), US novelist and writer; Jacob's Folly
• Kate Millett (1934–2017), US feminist
• Arthenia J. Bates Millican (1920–2012), US poet, short-story writer and educator
• Anchee Min (born 1957), Chinese US novelist and memoir writer; Red Azalea
• Mirabai (also Meera, Meera Bai; c. 1498–c. 1547), Hindu mystical poet
• Gabriela Mistral (Lucila Godoy Alcayaga, 1889–1957), Chilean poet, educator and feminist; first Latin US to win the Nobel Prize in Literature
• Dreda Say Mitchell (Louise Emma Joseph, born 1965), English novelist and journalist
• Gladys Mitchell (1901–1983), English mystery novelist
• Margaret Mitchell (1900–1949), US journalist and novelist; Gone with the Wind
• Susan Mitchell (born 1944), US poet, essayist and translator
• Naomi Mitchison (1897–1999), Scottish novelist and poet
• Jessica Mitford (1917–1996), English-US author, journalist and civil rights activist
• Mary Russell Mitford (1787–1855), English novelist and dramatist; Our Village
• Nancy Mitford (1904–1973), English novelist, biographer and letter writer; The Pursuit of Love
• Kim Mi-wol (born 1977)
• Minae Mizumura (born 1951), U.S.-educated Japanese novelist, critic and essayist
• Janet Mock (born 1983), US writer, transgender rights activist and author
• Moero or Myro (3rd century BC), Greek poet
• Nadifa Mohamed (born 1981), Somali-British novelist
• Natalia Molebatsi (living), South African poet
• Mary Louisa (Mrs) Molesworth (1839–1921), English children's novelist
• Grace Mera Molisa (1947–2002), ni-Vanuatu politician, poet and campaigner for women
• Lília Momplé (born 1935), Mozambican fiction writer
• Jenn Monroe (born 1970), poet, editor
• Pilar Burgués Monserrat, writer, of short story
• Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689–1762), English poet, essayist, diarist and letter-writer
• Florence Montgomery (1843–1923), English children's writer
• Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874–1942), Canadian fiction writer and poet; Anne of Green Gables
• Ruth Montgomery (1912–2001), US journalist, novelist and psychic
• Amy Monticello (born 1982), essayist and non-fiction writer
• Susanna Moodie (1803–1885), Canadian diarist, novelist and poet
• Anne Moody (born 1940), US autobiographer; Coming of Age in Mississippi
• Alison Moore (born 1971), English novelist; The Lighthouse
• C. L. Moore (1911–1987), US fantasy writer; Jirel of Joiry
• Lisa Moore (born 1964), Canadian fiction writer
• Lorrie Moore (born 1957), US short story writer
• Marianne Moore (1887–1972), US poet; 1951 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
• Ruth Moore (1903–1989), US fiction writer and poet
• Elizabeth Moorhead (c. 1865–1955), US fiction writer
• Barbara Moraff (born 1939), US poet of the Beat generation
• Cherrie Moraga (born 1952), Chicana poet, playwright and essayist
• Aurora Levins Morales (born 1954), US-Puerto Rican essayist, poet and fiction writer
• Elsa Morante (1912–1985), Italian novelist; History
• Ann Moray (1909–1981), Irish-US novelist and singer
• Yolanda Morazzo (1928–2009), Cape Verdean poet
• Hannah More (1745–1833), English moralist, poet and playwright
• Helga Moreira (born 1950), Portuguese poet
• C. E. Morgan (born 1976), US author
• Erin Morgenstern (born 1978), US multimedia artist and novelist; The Night Circus
• Irmtraud Morgner (1933–1990), German novelist
• Margarita Morozova (1873–1958), Russian memoirist and publisher
• Jan Morris (born James Morris, 1926), Welsh historian and travel writer
• Mary McGarry Morris (born 1943), US novelist; finalist, National Book Award and Pen/Faulkner Award; Vanished
• Toni Morrison (1931–2019), US novelist, children's novelist and 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature winner; Beloved
• Donna Morrissey (born 1956), Canadian novelist and screenwriter
• Penelope Mortimer (1918–1999), Welsh-English novelist
• Nelle Morton (1905–1987), US theologian, professor and feminist civil rights leader
• Stefania Mosca (1957–2009), Venezuelan writer
• Hannah Moscovitch (born 1978), Canadian playwright
• Marie Moser (born 1948), Canadian fiction writer
• Ottessa Moshfegh (born 1981), US novelist, short story writer and essayist; Eileen
• Thylias Moss (born 1954), US poet, children's novelist and playwright
• Kate Mosse (born 1961), English fiction writer and broadcaster;Labyrinth
• Touhfat Mouhtare (living), Comorian writer
• Daphne Pochin Mould (born 1920), English-born geology, religion and history writer
• Julia Moulden (born 1956), Canadian non-fiction writer and speechwriter
• Esther Moyal (1878–1948), Lebanese Jewish writer, feminist and translator
• Lisel Mueller (1924–2020), German-US poet; 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
• Willa Muir (1890–1970), Scottish writer
• Bharati Mukherjee (born 1940), Indian-US fiction writer; Jasmine
• Lale Müldür (born 1956), Turkish poet and writer
• Harryette Mullen (born 1953), US poet, short story writer and literary scholar
• Herta Müller (born 1953), Romanian-born German novelist, poet and essayist; Nobel Prize winner
• Inge Müller (1925–1966), German poet
• Alice Munro (born 1931), Canadian short story writer; 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature; Runaway
• Iris Murdoch (1919–1999), Irish-English novelist and philosopher; 1978 Booker Prize; The Sea, the Sea
• Mary Noailles Murfree (1850–1922), US fiction writer
• Rosario Murillo (born 1951), Nicaraguan poet
• C. E. Murphy (born 1973), US author
• Margaret Murphy (born 1959), English crime novelist; The Dispossessed
• Eugénie Musayidire (born 1952), Rwandan-German writer; Mein Stein spricht (My Stone Speaks, covering the Rwandan genocide)
• Inga Muscio (born 1966), US writer; Cunt: A Declaration of Independence
• Susan Musgrave (born 1951), Canadian poet and children's writer
• Małgorzata Musierowicz (born 1945), Polish fiction writer for children and young adults
• Carol Muske-Dukes (born 1945), US poet, novelist and professor; California Poet Laureate
• Sugawara no Takasue no musume (born 1008), Japanese diarist
• Dagmar von Mutius (1919–2008), German writer
• Beverle Graves Myers (born 1951), US mystery fiction writer

N

• Farida Nabourema (born 1990), Togolese human rights activist, writer and blogger
• Constance Naden (1858–1889), English poet and philosopher
• Azar Nafisi (born 1948), Iranian writer and academic; Reading Lolita in Tehran
• Alice Nahon (1896–1933), Dutch-language poet
• Sarojini Naidu (Nightingale of India; 1879–1949), child prodigy, Indian independence activist and poet
• Zofia Nałkowska (1884–1954), Polish novelist, playwright
• Carolina Nairne (1766–1845), Scottish songwriter
• Cheng Naishan (1946–2013) Shanghainese-Hong Kongese novelist and non-fiction writer
• Shikishi Naishinnō (died 1201), Japanese classical poet
• Nakatsukasa (912–991), Japanese poet
• Bahiyyih Nakhjavani (living), Iranian novelist
• Anna Nakwaska (1781–1851), Polish memoirist, novelist and children's author
• Heo Nanseolheon (1563–1589), Korean poet
• Elma Napier (1892–1973), Scottish-born writer and politician in Dominica
• Ruth Narramore (1923–2010), editor
• Taslima Nasrin (born 1962), Bengali novelist and poet and essayist; Lajja
• Benedikte Naubert (1752–1819), German historical novelist
• Marguerite de Navarre (1492–1549), French poet, playwright and short story writer; Heptameron
• Gloria Naylor (born 1950), US novelist; The Women of Brewster Place
• Marie NDiaye (born 1967), French novelist and playwright
• Alice Dunbar Nelson (1875–1935), US poet, journalist and political activist
• Božena Němcová (1820–1862), Czech writer of the Czech National Revival movement
• Irène Némirovsky (1903–1942), Ukrainian-French novelist; Suite française
• Adalgisa Nery (1905–1980), Brazilian poet, novelist and journalist
• E. Nesbit (1858–1924), English children's fiction writer; Five Children and It
• Friederike Caroline Neuber (1697–1760), German playwright and actress
• Aimee Nezhukumatathil (born 1974), Asian US poet and essayist
• Juliana Makuchi Nfah-Abbenyi (living), Cameroon professor and writer
• Lauretta Ngcobo (1931–2015), South African novelist and essayist
• Grace Nichols (born 1950), Guyanese poet
• Lorine Niedecker (1903–1970), US poet; only woman among the Objectivist poets
• Aīda Niedra (1899–1972), Latvian novelist and poet
• Charlotte Niese (1854–1935), German writer and poet
• Audrey Niffenegger (born 1963), US novelist and artist; The Time Traveler's Wife
• Florence Nightingale (1820–1910), English nurse, statistician and feminist
• Anaïs Nin (1903–1977), French eroticist, critic and diarist; Henry and June
• Sister Nivedita (1867–1911), English and Hindu writer
• Esther Nirina (1932–2004), Malagasy poet
• Rebeka Njau (born 1932), Kenyan playwright and novelist
• Nkiru Njoku (born c. 1980), Nigerian screenwriter
• Anna de Noailles (1876–1933), French-born Romanian writer in French
• Ingrid Noll (born 1935), German novelist
• Oodgeroo Noonuccal (also Kath Walker; 1920–1993), Australian poet, political activist and educator
• Kerstin Norborg (born 1961), Swedish writer and poet
• Hedvig Charlotta Nordenflycht (1718–1763), Swedish poet, feminist and salon hostess
• Clara Nordström (1886–1962), Swedish-born novelist writing in German
• Regine Normann (1867–1939), Norwegian fiction writer
• Kathleen Norris (1880–1966), US novelist
• Marisela Norte (living), US poet and writer
• Andre Norton (1912–2005), US writer of speculative fiction; Star Gate
• Caroline Norton (1808–1877), English author, social reformer and feminist
• Julian of Norwich (1342–1416), English mystic
• Nossis (fl. c. 300 BC), Greek epigrammist and poet
• Amélie Nothomb (born 1967), Belgian novelist
• Alice Notley (born 1945), US poet
• Helga M. Novak (born 1935), German poet and political writer
• Mary Novik (born 1945), Canadian novelist
• Perpétue Nshimirimana (born 1961), writer
• Princess Nukata (c. 630–690), Japanese poet
• Martina Nwakoby (born 1937), Nigerian children's writer and novelist
• Flora Nwapa (1931–1993), Nigerian novelist; Efuru
• Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani (born 1976), Nigerian novelist, humorist and essayist
• Julia Nyberg (1784–1854), Swedish poet and songwriter

O

• Ann Oakley (born 1944), English feminist academic and novelist
• Joyce Carol Oates (born 1938), US fiction writer, poet and playwright; We Were the Mulvaneys
• María Olimpia de Obaldía (1891–1985), Panamanian poet
• Charlotta Öberg (also Lotta Öberg,; 1818–1856), Swedish poet
• Téa Obreht (born 1985), Serbian-US fiction writer; The Tiger's Wife
• Edna O'Brien (born 1930), Irish fiction writer
• Kate O'Brien (1897–1974), Irish novelist and playwright
• Silvina Ocampo (1903–1994), Argentine poet and short story writer
• Flannery O'Connor (1925–1964), US fiction writer
• Niamh O'Connor (active since 2000), Irish journalist, novelist
• Tyne O'Connell (born 1960), English novelist
• Mary O'Donnell (born 1954), Irish fiction writer and poet
• Mary O'Donoghue (born 1975), Irish novelist, poet and translator
• Taiwo Odubiyi (born 1965), Nigerian romance novelist, children's writer and religious columnist
• Julia O'Faolain (born 1932), Irish novelist
• Nuala O'Faolain (1940–2008), Irish novelist, critic and memoirist
• Catherine O'Flynn (born 1970), English fiction writer; What Was Lost
• Nana Oforiatta Ayim (living), Ghanaian writer, art historian and filmmaker
• Barbara Ogier (1648–1720), Flemish playwright
• Grace Ogot (born 1930), Kenyan fiction writer
• Molara Ogundipe (born 1940), Nigerian poet, critic and non-fiction writer
• Sheila O'Hagan (living), Irish poet
• Yeo Ok (15th to 1st century BC), Korean poet
• Nnedi Okorafor (born 1974), Nigerian US fiction writer
• Juliane Okot Bitek (living), Kenyan-born Ugandan diaspora poet
• Ifeoma Okoye (born 1937), Nigerian fiction and children's writer
• Chinelo Okparanta (born 1981), Nigerian-US fiction writer
• Sofi Oksanen (born 1977), Finnish novelist and playwright
• Princess Ōku (661–702), Japanese poet
• Sharon Olds (born 1942), US poet; 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
• Margaret Oliphant (1828–1897), Scottish novelist; Phoebe, Junior
• Ukamaka Olisakwe (born 1982), Nigerian feminist writer, short story writer and screenwriter
• Mary Oliver (born 1935), US poet; 1984 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
• Tillie Olsen (1913–2007), US feminist fiction writer
• Lisa Olstein (living), US poet
• Nessa O'Mahony (living), Irish poet
• Mary O'Malley (born 1954), Irish poet
• Kathleen O'Meara (1839–1888), Irish journalist, novelist and biographer
• Yewande Omotoso (born 1980), South African-based novelist and designer, born in Barbados, raised in Nigeria
• Heather O'Neill (born 1973), Canadian fiction writer, poet and screenwriter
• Mary Devenport O'Neill (1898–1957), Irish poet and dramatist
• Moira O'Neill, pen name of Agnes Shakespeare Higginson (1864–1955), Irish-Canadian poet
• Makena Onjerika (living), Kenyan writer
• Fuyumi Ono (born 1960), Japanese novelist
• Nuzo Onoh (born 1962), Nigerian horror writer
• Chibundu Onuzo (born 1991), Nigerian novelist
• Osonye Tess Onwueme (born 1955), Nigerian playwright, scholar and poet
• Ifeoma Onyefulu (born 1959), Nigerian children's writer, novelist and photographer
• Amelia Opie (1769–1853), English novelist and biographer
• Mary Oppen (1908–1990), US artist, poet and writer
• Baroness Orczy (1865–1947), Hungarian-born English novelist, translator, and illustrator; The Scarlet Pimpernel
• Caitriona O'Reilly (born 1973), Irish poet, critic
• Bukola Oriola (born 1976), Nigerian-US journalist and autobiographer
• Iza Orjonikidze (1938–2010) Georgian poet, politician
• Margarita Ormotsadze (born 1981), Ukrainian journalist, poet and writer
• Hanne Ørstavik (born 1969), Norwegian novelist
• Virginia Elena Ortea (1866–1906) Dominican Republic journalist and novelist
• Helena Araújo Ortiz (born 1934), Colombian feminist author and literary critic
• Eliza Orzeszkowa (1841–1910), Polish writer
• Martha Ostenso (1900–1963), Norwegian-Canadian novelist and screenwriter; Wild Geese
• Maggie O'Sullivan (1908–1990), British poet, performer and visual artist associated with British Poetry Revival
• Maureen Donovan O'Sullivan (1887–1966), Irish educator, journal editor and historian
• Alice Oswald (born 1966), English poet
• Julie Otsuka (born 1962), US novelist; The Buddha in the Attic
• Ouida (1839–1908), English fiction writer; Under Two Flags
• Helen Ovbiagele (born 1944), Nigerian romance novelist
• Angelika Overath (born 1957), German author and journalist
• Sue Owen (born 1942), US dark humor poet
• Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor (born 1968), Kenyan fiction writer
• Helen Oyeyemi (born 1984), British fiction writer
• Emine Sevgi Özdamar (born 1956), Turkish-born German novelist and playwright
• Ruth Ozeki (born 1956), US-Canadian novelist, filmmaker and academic
• Cynthia Ozick (born 1928), US critic and novelist

P

• Ruth Padel (born 1946), English poet, critic and writer on nature
• Isabel Pagan (c. 1740–1821), Scottish poet
• Karen A. Page (born 1962), US food writer
• Elaine Pagels (born 1943), US religious historian and writer; The Gnostic Gospels
• Camille Paglia (born 1947), US feminist essayist; Sexual Personae
• Charlotte Painter (born 1926), US novelist and writer
• Marina Palei (born 1955), Russian writer; Rendezvous
• Grace Paley (1922–2007), US short story writer, poet and activist
• Nettie Palmer (1885–1964), Australian poet, essayist and literary critic
• Kirsti Paltto (born 1947), Sámi playwright, short story and children's writer
• Emmeline Pankhurst (1858–1928), English feminist activist, speaker and autobiography writer
• Sylvia Pankhurst (1882–1960), English suffragist, poet
• Vera Panova (1905–1973), Soviet fiction writer; Seryozha
• Sara Paretsky (born 1947), US mystery novelist
• Dorothy Parker (1893–1967), US poet, critic and short story writer
• Una-Mary Parker (born 1930), English journalist and novelist
• Adele Parks (born 1969), English fiction writer
• Suzan-Lori Parks (born 1964), US playwright and screenwriter
• Sophia Parnok (1885–1933), Russian Silver Age poet
• Catherine Parr (born 1512), Queen of England from 1543 to 1547, spouse of King Henry VIII
• Anne Parrish (1888–1957), US children's novelist
• Mona Parsa (born 1982), US author
• Sarah Willis Parton (Fanny Fern, 1811–1872), US novelist, columnist and children's writer
• Vesna Parun (1922–2010), Croatian poet
• Ann Patchett (born 1963), US novelist; Bel Canto
• Shailja Patel (living), Kenyan poet, playwright
• Evelyn Patuawa-Nathan (living), New Zealand Māori writer
• Irene Levine Paull (1908–1981), US writer and labor activist
• Karolina Pavlova (1807–1893), Russian writer; A Double Life
• Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska (1891–1945), Polish poet
• Edith Pearlman (born 1936), US short story and non-fiction writer
• Laura Pedersen (born 1965), US author, humorist and playwright; The Brightness of Heaven
• Erica Pedretti (born 1930), Czechoslovak-born Swiss writer in German
• Inês Pedrosa (born 1962), Portuguese journalist, fiction writer and playwright
• Janet Peery (born 1948), US fiction writer
• Kira Peikoff (born 1987), US thriller writer
• Kathleen Peirce (born 1956), US poet
• Louise Penny (born 1958), Canadian mystery novelist
• Emily Pepys (1833–1877), English child diarist (1844–45)
• Jennifer Percy (living), US writer
• Charmaine Pereira (living), Nigerian non-fiction writer
• Ana Mercedes Perez (born 1910), Venezuelan poet, writer and translator
• Aşıq Pəri (also as Ashiq Peri, c. 1811–c. 1847) Azerbaijani lyric poet
• Olga Perovskaya (1902–1961), Soviet children's literature writer
• Perpetua (died AD 203), Roman African writer of a prison diary, The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity
• Julia Peterkin (1880–1961), US fiction writer; 1929 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
• Elizabeth Peters (born 1927), US mystery novelist; Amelia Peabody
• Ellis Peters (1913–1995), Welsh-English mystery fiction writer and translator; Brother Cadfael
• Marine Petrossian (born 1960), Armenian poet, essayist and columnist
• Lyudmila Petrushevskaya (born 1938), Russian writer and dramatist; Immortal Love
• Ann Petry (1908–1997), US journalist and fiction writer
• Sophie Petzal (born 1990), English screenwriter
• Katherine Philips (1631–1664), English poet
• Jayne Anne Phillips (born 1952), US fiction writer
• Phintys (or Phyntis, 4th or 3rd century BC), Greek philosopher
• Ife Piankhi (living), Uganda-born poet, singer and educator
• Karoline Pichler (also Caroline, 1769–1843), Austrian novelist; Agathocles
• Jodi Picoult (born 1966), US novelist
• Meredith Ann Pierce (born 1958), US fantasy writer
• Tamora Pierce (born 1954), US children's novelist; Alanna of Trebond
• Marge Piercy (born 1936), US poet, novelist, and social activist
• Rosamunde Pilcher (1924–2019), English romance fiction writer; The Shell Seekers
• Florencia del Pinar (15th century), Spanish poet
• Winsome Pinnock (born 1961), British playwright
• Ruth Pitter (1897–1992), English poet; first woman to receive the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry, in 1955
• Mary Pix (1666–1709), English novelist and playwright
• Christine de Pizan (1364–1430), Venetian feminist poet and rhetorician in French; The Book of the City of Ladies
• Alejandra Pizarnik (1936–1972), Argentine poet
• Tamri Pkhakadze (born 1957) Georgian novelist and children's writer
• Josefina Pla (1903–1999), Spanish poet, playwright and painter
• Sylvia Plath (1932–1963), US poet, fiction writer and essayist; 1982 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (posthumous)
• Ann Plato (born c. 1820), US essayist
• Karen Platt (fl. 2004 – present), English gardening writer
• Polly Platt (1927–2008), US author of books on living in France
• Anne Plumptre (1760–1818), English translator and fiction and political writer
• Aliénor de Poitiers (fl. late 15th century), French writer on court etiquette
• Elizabeth Polack (fl. 1830–1838), Anglo-Jewish playwright
• Velma Pollard (born 1937), Jamaican poet and fiction writer.
• Sarah Polley (born 1979), Canadian actress, screenwriter and political activist; Away from Her
• Katha Pollitt (born 1949), US feminist poet, essayist and critic
• Elizaveta Polonskaya (1890–1969), Russian Jewish poet, translator and journalist
• Hannah Azieb Pool (born 1974), British-Eritrean writer and journalist
• Olúmìdé Pópóọlá (living), Nigerian-German poet and novelist
• Elizabeth Polwheele (1651–c. 1691), British playwright
• Elena Poniatowska (born 1932), Polish-Mexican journalist and fiction writer
• Marie Ponsot (born 1921), US poet and essayist
• Azalais de Porcairagues (late 12th century), French poet writing in Occitan
• Anna Maria Porter (1780–1832), English poet and novelist
• Eleanor H. Porter (1868–1920), US children's writer; Pollyanna
• Jane Porter (1776–1850), English historical novelist and playwright
• Katherine Anne Porter (1890–1980), US journalist, essayist and novelist; 1966 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
• Suzanne Portnoy (born 1961), English writer and playwright
• Dina Posada (born 1946), Central American poet
• Francesca Bortolotto Possati (living), Italian entrepreneur and author
• Emily Post (1873–1960), US journalist and novelist; Etiquette
• Halina Poświatowska (1935–1967), Polish poet
• Beatrix Potter (1866–1943), English children's writer and illustrator; The Tale of Peter Rabbit
• Sarah Powell (1922–1941), French poet
• Dawn Powell (1896–1965), US fiction writer and playwright
• Patricia Powell (born 1966), Jamaican novelist
• Marguerite Agnes Power (1815–1867), Irish-English novelist, periodical writer and editor
• Rhoda Power (1890–1957), English educational and children's writer
• Praxilla (5th century BC), Greek poet
• Paula von Preradović (1887–1951), Austrian story writer and poet
• Jewel Prestage (1931–2014), first African-US woman to earn a political science Ph.D.
• Katharine Susannah Prichard (1883–1969), Australian fiction writer and playwright
• Diane di Prima (born 1934), US poet
• Mary Prince (c. 1788–after 1833), Bermuda-born writer of first account of the life an enslaved black woman published in the UK, The History of Mary Prince (1831)
• Pauline Prior-Pitt (living), Scottish poet
• Amrita Pritam (1919–2005), first prominent woman Punjabi poet, novelist and essayist
• Faltonia Betitia Proba (c. 306/315 – c. 353/366), Roman poet in Latin
• Adelaide Anne Procter (1825–1864), English poet
• Francine Prose (born 1947), US fiction and non-fiction writer and critic; Reading Like a Writer
• Annie Proulx (born 1935), US fiction writer and journalist; 1994 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction; The Shipping News
• Esther Pugh (1834–1908), US editor
• Carmen Montoriol Puig (1893–1966), Catalan poet, writer and playwright
• Barbara Pym (1913–1980), English novelist; Quartet in Autumn

Q

• Najwa Qassem (living), Lebanese journalist
• Li Qingzhao (1084–1151), Chinese poet
• Qiu Jin (1875–1907), Chinese revolutionary, feminist and writer
• Marjorie Quarton (born 1930), Irish children's writer and novelist
• Rachel de Queiroz (1910–2003), Brazilian novelist, playwright and non-fiction writer
• Catharina Questiers (1631–1669), Dutch poet and playwright
• Alison Quigan (fl. 1980s), New Zealand actress, theatre director and playwright
• Betty Quin (died 1993), Australian script writer
• Anna Quindlen (born 1953), US journalist and novelist; Black and Blue
• Rebeca Quintáns (born 1964), Spanish journalist and research writer
• Elena Quiroga (1921–1995), Spanish novelist
• Christine Qunta (born 1952), South African writer, lawyer and entrepreneur
• Anne Margrethe Qvitzow (1652–1700), Danish poet, translator and memoir writer

R

• Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné (1626–1696), French letter-writer
• Ann Radcliffe (1764–1823), English gothic novelist; The Mysteries of Udolpho
• Radegund (c. 520–586), Frankish princess and poet writing in Latin
• Janet Milne Rae (1844–1933), Scottish fiction writer
• Jennifer Rahim (born 1963), Trinidadian educator and writer
• Allen Raine (Anne Adaliza Beynon Puddicombe, 1836–1908), Welsh novelist; Queen of the Rushes
• Samina Raja (born 1961), Pakistani poet, writer and broadcaster
• Rajashree (living), Indian chick lit novelist; Trust Me
• Maraea Rakuraku (living), New Zealand Māori playwright
• Ayn Rand (1905–1982), Russian US novelist and philosopher; The Fountainhead; Atlas Shrugged
• Mary Randolph (1762–1828), US housekeeping and cookery book author; The Virginia House-Wife
• Jennifer Rankin (1941–1979), Australian poet and playwright
• Claudia Rankine (born 1963), US poet and playwright
• Ellen Raskin (1928–1984), US children's writer and illustrator; The Westing Game
• Elsa Rautee (1897–1987), Finnish poet
• Dahlia Ravikovitch (1936–2005), Israeli poet, translator and peace activist
• Angela Rawlings (born 1978), Canadian poet, editor and interdisciplinary artist
• Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (1896–1953), US novelist; 1939 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction; The Yearling
• Sarah Rayner (living), English author and copywriter
• Angela Readman (born 1973), English poet
• Pauline Réage (1907–1998), French erotic novelist; Story of O
• Elisa von der Recke (Elisabeth Recke) (1754–1833), German writer and poet from Courland
• Jaclyn Reding (born 1966), US historical romance novelist
• Clara Reeve (1729–1807), English novelist; The Old English Baron
• Ruth Reichl (born 1948), US food and memoir writer
• Gayla Reid (born 1945), Australian-Canadian novelist
• Małgorzata Rejmer (born 1985), Polish fiction writer
• Mirkka Rekola (born 1931), Finnish poet
• Mary Renault (1905–1983), English historical novelist; Fire From Heaven
• Ruth Rendell (born 1930), English mystery novelist; A Fatal Inversion
• Ōtagaki Rengetsu (1791–1875), Japanese poet and calligrapher
• Empress Xu (1362–1407), Chinese bibliographer and empress consort
• Gabriele Reuter (1859–1941), German novelist, essayist and children's writer
• Fanny zu Reventlow (Franziska, 1871–1918), German political writer and feminist
• Yasmina Reza (born 1959), French playwright, actress and novelist; Art
• Regina Rheda (São Paulo, Brazil, 1957), fiction writer and animal rights advocate; Humana Festa
• Jean Rhys (1890–1979), Dominican novelist; Wide Sargasso Sea
• Mrs. Riazuddin (born 1928), Pakistani feminist activist and travelogue writer
• Catherine of Ricci (1522–1590), Italian religious writer and saint
• Marie Jeanne Riccoboni (1714–1792), French novelist
• Anne Rice (born 1941), US novelist; Vampire Chronicles
• Adrienne Rich (born 1929), US feminist poet
• Jo-Anne Richards, South African journalist and author
• Dorothy Richardson (1873–1957), English fiction writer, poet and essayist
• Elizabeth Richardson (1576/1577–1651), English religious writer
• Henry Handel Richardson (Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson, 1870–1946), Australian novelist; The Fortunes of Richard Mahony
• Jutta Richter (born 1955), German author for children and young people
• Lola Ridge (1873–1941), anarchist poet and editor of avant-garde feminist and Marxist publications
• Laura Riding (1901–1991), US poet, critic and fiction writer
• Brigitte Riebe (also Laura Stern, born 1935), German novelist
• Alifa Rifaat (1930–1996), Egyptian short story writer
• Denise Riley (born 1948), English poet and philosopher
• Raza Naqvi Wahi (born 1914–2002), Urdu poet
• Joan Riley (born 1958), Jamaican novelist
• Mary Roberts Rinehart (1876–1958), US novelist, playwright and poet
• Luise Rinser (1911–2002), German novelist, autobiographer and children's writer
• Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie (1837–1919), English novelist
• Sarah Fraser Robbins (1911–2002), US writer and educator in natural history and environmentalism
• Antoinette Henriette Clémence Robert (1797–1872), French novelist and playwright
• Eigra Lewis Roberts (born 1939), Welsh dramatist and novelist in Welsh
• Emma Roberts (1794–1840), English travel writer and poet
• Kate Roberts (1891–1985), Welsh fiction writer in Welsh
• Michèle Roberts (born 1949), British novelist and poet
• Margaret Roberts (1937–2017), South African herbalist and author
• Nora Roberts (pen name J. D. Robb, born 1959), US romance and fantasy novelist; In Death series
• E. Arnot Robertson (1903–1961), English novelist
• Lisa Robertson (born 1961), Canadian poet
• Eden Robinson (born 1968), Canadian fiction writer; Monkey Beach
• Marilynne Robinson (born 1943), US novelist; 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction; Gilead
• Mary Robinson (1757–1800), English poet, novelist and actress
• Kim Robinson-Walcott (living), Jamaican poet and editor
• Aïcha Mohamed Robleh (born 1965), Djiboutian writer
• Lucia St. Clair Robson (living), US novelist
• Charlotte Roche (born 1978), English-born novelist in German; Feuchtgebiete
• Mazo de la Roche (1885–1961), Canadian novelist in English; Jalna series
• Sophie von La Roche (1730–1807), German novelist
• Esther Rochon (born 1948), Canadian science fiction novelist
• Debbie Rodriguez (living), US author
• Helena Roerich (1879–1955), Russian mystic
• Monique Roffey (born 1965), Trinidadian novelist and memoirist
• Robin Romm (living), US writer
• Daphne Rooke (1914–2009), South African writer
• Ginny Rorby (born 1944), US young adult novelist
• Henrietta Rose-Innes (born 1971), South African novelist and short-story writer
• Barbara Rosiek (born 1959), Polish writer, poet and clinical psychologist
• Anna Ross, (born 1773), comic opera dramatist and actress
• Orna Ross (born 1960), Irish author and advocate for creativism
• Nancy Wilson Ross (1901–1986), US novelist
• Somerville and Ross (Edith Somerville, 1858–1949, and Violet Florence Martin, 1862–1915, writing as Martin Ross), Irish novelists; The Irish R. M.
• Christina Rossetti (1830–1894), English poet; Goblin Market and Other Poems
• Veronica Rossi (born 1973), US young adult novelist
• Judith Rossner (1935–2005), US novelist; Looking for Mr. Goodbar
• Maria Elizabeth Rothmann (1875–1975), South African writer
• Veronica Roth (born 1988), US novelist; Divergent trilogy
• Hannah Mary Rothschild (born 1962), English writer, philanthropist and documentary filmmaker
• Anne Rouse (born 1954), US-British poet
• Alma Routsong (Isabel Miller, 1924–1996), US novelist; Patience and Sarah
• Mary Rowlandson (1635–1711), US memoirist
• J. K. Rowling (born 1965), English novelist; Harry Potter series
• Susanna Rowson (1762–1824), English-US novelist, poet and playwright; Charlotte Temple, Lucy Temple
• Susanna Roxman (born 1946), English writer, poet and critic born in Sweden; Imagining Seals
• Arundhati Roy (born 1961), Indian novelist; 1997 Booker Prize; The God of Small Things
• Gabrielle Roy (1909–1983), Canadian novelist and journalist; The Tin Flute
• Lucinda Roy (born 1955), US-based British novelist
• S. J. Rozan (born 1950), US crime fiction writer; Winter and Night
• Pascale Roze (born 1954), French playwright and novelist
• Bernice Rubens (1928–2004), Welsh novelist; 1970 Booker Prize; The Elected Member
• Dina Rubina (born 1953), Russian writer; The Blackthorn
• Anne Rudloe (1947–2012), US marine biologist, Zen Buddhist
• Anneli Rufus (living), US journalist
• Muriel Rukeyser (1913–1980), US feminist poet
• Katherine Rundell (born 1987), English children's writer and dramatist
• Kristina Rungano (born 1963), Zimbabwean poet and short story writer
• Rona Rupert (1934–1995), South African writer
• Joanna Russ (born 1937), US fiction writer and essayist
• Diana E. H. Russell (born 1938), South African feminist writer and activist
• Karen Russell (born 1981), US fiction writer; Swamplandia!
• Rose Rwakasisi (born 1945), Ugandan editor, short story writer and educator
• Gig Ryan (born 1956), Australian poet
• Kay Ryan (born 1945), US poet and educator; 16th US Poet Laureate
• Marah Ellis Ryan (1860–1934), US novelist
• Nan Ryan (living), US writer of romance novels

 S

• Nelly Sachs (1891–1970), German poet and playwright; 1966 Nobel Prize in Literature
• Vita Sackville-West (1892–1962), English writer, poet and gardener
• Mary Sadler (born 1941), South African novelist
• Elif Safak (born 1971), Turkish writer
• Françoise Sagan (1935–2004), French playwright, novelist and screenwriter
• Mamta Sagar (born 1966), Kannada poet and playwright living in Bangalore
• Sarojini Sahoo (born 1956), Indian feminist writer and fiction writer; Sensible Sensuality, The Dark Abode
• Nandini Sahu (born 1973), Indian English poet, folklorist and academic
• Stéphanie Félicité du Crest de Saint-Aubin (1746–1830), novelist, playwright and children's writer: see Genlis
• Pirkko Saisio (born 1949), Finnish author, actress and director
• Arja Salafranca (born 1971), South African poet
• Nina Salaman (1877–1925), English poet and translator
• Excilia Saldaña (1946–1999), Afro-Cuban poet and children's writer
• Marta Salgado,(born 1947), Afro-Chilean non-fiction
• Nino Salia (1898–1992), Georgian émigré historian active in France
• Blanaid Salkeld (1880–1959), Irish poet, dramatist and salon hostess
• Jessica Amanda Salmonson (born 1950), US fiction writer, essayist and editor
• Lydie Salvayre (born 1948), French writer
• Fiona Sampson (born 1968), British poet and editor
• Lin Sampson (living), South African journalist
• Sonia Sanchez (born 1934), US poet, playwright and children's writer
• Milcha Sanchez-Scott (born 1953), US playwright
• George Sand (1804–1876), French novelist and playwright; Indiana
• Mari Sandoz (1896–1966), US fiction writer and biographer
• Sappho (c. 630–570 BC), Greek poet
• Dipti Saravanamuttu (born 1960), Sri Lankan-Australian poet and journalist
• Tibors de Sarenom (c. 1130–post–1198), French poet writing in Occitan
• Noo Saro-Wiwa (living), British-Nigerian travel writer
• Nathalie Sarraute (1900–1999), Russian-French novelist and essayist
• Homa Sarshar (living), Iranian-US author, feminist and journalist
• May Sarton (1912–1995), Belgian US poet, novelist and memoirist
• Marjane Satrapi (born 1969), Iranian graphic novelist
• Gerd Grønvold Saue (born 1930), Norwegian literary critic, novelist and hymnwriter
• Stephanie Saulter (living), Jamaican science fiction writer
• Sharon Savoy (living), US author
• Ruth Sawyer (1880–1970), US novelist and children's writer
• Robin Sax (born c. 1971), US true-crime author and commentator
• Dorothy L. Sayers (1893–1957), English mystery novelist, essayist, and short story writer; Whose Body?
• Oda Schaefer (1900–1988), German poet and journalist
• Riana Scheepers (born 1957), South African writer of children's books, short fiction and poetry
• Caroline Schelling (1763–1809), German essayist, critic and correspondent
• Stacy Schiff (born 1961), US non-fiction author and guest columnist; winner of the Pulitzer Prize
• Dorothea von Schlegel (1764–1839), German novelist and translator
• Eva Schloss (born 1929), Austrian Jewish memoirist and Holocaust survivor
• Elke Schmitter (born 1961), German novelist
• Pat Schneider (born 1934), US writer, poet and editor
• Diane Schoemperlen (born 1954), Canadian fiction writer
• Elizabeth of Schönau (1129–1165), German visionary writing in Latin
• Patricia Schonstein (born 1952), South African novelist, poet and children's author
• Jane Johnston Schoolcraft (1800–1842), US Indian writer of poetry and fiction
• Amalie Schoppe (1791–1858), German children's writer
• Olive Schreiner (1855–1920), South African novelist, allegorist and political writer
• Jenefer Shute (living), South African novelist
• Christine Schutt (born 1948), US fiction writer
• Simone Schwarz-Bart (born 1938), French playwright and novelist
• Sandra Scofield (born 1943), US novelist, essayist, and author of writers' guides
• Ann Scott (born 1965), French novelist
• Caroline Lucy Scott (1784–1857), English novelist and religious writer
• Cathy Scott (living), US true crime author, biographer and journalist; The Killing of Tupac Shakur
• Jane Scott (c. 1779–1839), English theatre manager, performer and playwright
• Madeleine de Scudéry (1607–1701), French novelist
• Mary Seacole (1805–1881), British-Jamaican nurse and autobiographer
• Molly Elliot Seawell (1860–1916), US essayist, novelist and short story writer
• Alice Sebold (born 1963), US novelist; The Lovely Bones
• Amy Sedaris (born 1961), US actress, screenwriter and humorist
• Catharine Sedgwick (1789–1867), US novelist
• Lisa See (born 1955), Chinese-US novelist; Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
• Edith Segal (1902–1997), Jewish-US choreographer, poet and songwriter
• Anna Seghers (1900–1983), German novelist; The Seventh Cross
• Comtesse de Ségur (1799–1874), Russian-French novelist
• Taiye Selasi (born 1979), Nigerian-Ghanaian novelist
• Odete Semedo (born 1959), writer and educator from Guinea-Bissau
• Olive Senior (born 1941), Jamaican poet and fiction writer
• Danzy Senna (born 1970), US novelist
• Raquel Señoret (1922–1990), Chilean poet
• Ha Seong-nan (born 1967), Korean author
• Kim Seon-wu (born 1970), Korean poet
• Ruta Sepetys (born 1967), Lithuanian-US writer of historical fiction
• Nina Serrano (born 1934), US poet, writer and storyteller
• Kadija Sesay (living), British short-story writer, poet and editor
• Anya Seton (1904–1990), US historical fiction novelist
• Cynthia Propper Seton (1926–1982), US novelist and essayist
• Diane Setterfield (born 1964), English novelist; The Thirteenth Tale
• Mary Lee Settle (1918–2005), US novelist and memoirist; Blood Tie
• Anna Seward (1747–1809), English Romantic poet
• Anna Sewell (1820–1887), English novelist; Black Beauty
• Elizabeth Sewell (1919–2001), British-US poet, novelist, professor and critic
• Elizabeth Missing Sewell (1815–1906), English writer of religious and educational texts
• Anne Sexton (1928–1974), US poet; 1967 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
• Miranda Seymour (born 1948), English fiction and non-fiction writer
• Ippolita Maria Sforza (1446–1484), Italian writer (also wrote in Latin)
• Mary Ann Shaffer (1934–2008), US writer, editor and librarian; The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
• Marietta Shaginyan (1888–1982), Soviet (Russian) writer and political activist; Mess-Mend
• Ruchoma Shain (1914–2013), author of All for the Boss
• Ntozake Shange (1948–2018), US playwright and novelist
• Jo Shapcott (born 1953), English poet, editor and lecturer
• Chava Shapiro (1876–1943), Ukrainian writer and journalist
• Emma Augusta Sharkey (1858–1802), US writer, journalist and novelist
• Tatiana Shchepkina-Kupernik (1874–1952), Russian writer and dramatist; Deborah
• Alice Sheldon (1915–1987), US fiction writer
• Mary Shelley (1797–1851), English novelist; Frankenstein
• Nan Shepherd (1893–1981), Scottish novelist and poet
• Verene Shepherd (born 1951), Jamaican academic
• Frances Sheridan (1724–1766), Irish novelist and playwright
• Dorothy Sherrill (1901–1990), US writer and illustrator of children's books
• Kate Brownlee Sherwood (1841–1914), US poet, journalist and translator
• Mary Martha Sherwood (1775–1851), English children's writer
• Carol Shields (1935–2003), US-Canadian novelist; 1995 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction; The Stone Diaries
• Izumi Shikibu (born c. 976), Japanese poet
• Murasaki Shikibu (c. 973–1014 or 1025), Japanese novelist and poet; The Tale of Genji
• Aki Shimazaki (born 1954), Canadian novelist and translator
• Kang Shin-jae (1924–2001), Korean novelist, essayist and playwright
• Sharon Shinn (born 1957), US novelist
• Irma Shiolashvili (born 1974), Georgian poet, translator and journalist
• Warsan Shire (born 1988), British writer, poet and editor
• Shirome (10th century), Japanese poet
• Maria Shkapskaya (1891–1952), Soviet poet and journalist
• Sei Shōnagon (965–1010), Japanese writer; The Pillow Book
• Lola Shoneyin (born 1974), Nigerian novelist and poet
• Fredegond Shove (1889–1949), English poet
• Zhu Shuzhen (c. 1135–1180), Chinese poet
• Marie-Louise Sibazuri (born 1960), Burundian writer
• Bapsi Sidhwa (born 1938), Pakistani novelist
• Mary Sidney (1561–1621), English translator, playwright and poet
• Gonnie Siegel (1928–2005), US feminist and business advisor
• Catherine of Siena (1347–1380), Italian nun, philosopher and theologian
• Joyce Sikakane (born 1943), South African journalist and activist
• Joan Silber (born 1945), US fiction writer
• Paula Slier (living), South African television, radio and print journalist
• Leslie Marmon Silko (born 1948), US-Laguna Pueblo fiction writer and poet; Almanac of the Dead
• Jindeok of Silla (fl. 647–654), Korean poet and queen
• Makeda Silvera (born 1955), Caribbean Canadian novelist and short-story writer
• Ruth Simpson (1926–2008), US lesbian author, founder of first lesbian community center
• Laura Sims, poet, author
• Jo Sinclair (1913–1995), pen name of Ruth Seid, Jewish-US writer
• May Sinclair (1862–1946), English novelist, poet and short story writer
• Ansuyah Ratipul Singh (1917–1978), South African medical doctor and writer
• Johanna Sinisalo (born 1958), Finnish science-fiction and fantasy writer
• Elinor Sisulu (born 1958), South African writer and activist
• Edith Sitwell (1887–1964), English poet
• Maj Sjöwall (born 1935), Swedish mystery novelist
• Rebecca Skloot (born 1972), US non-fiction science writer; The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
• Ann Masterman Skinn (1747–1789), English novelist
• Amalie Skram (1846–1905), Norwegian novelist and feminist; Madam Høiers leiefolk
• Vendela Skytte (1608–1627), Swedish writer
• Karin Slaughter (born 1971), US crime writer
• Barbara Sleigh (1906–1982), children's writer and broadcaster; Carbonel series
• Gillian Slovo (born 1952), South African novelist, playwright and memoirist
• Anna Smaill (born 1979), New Zealand poet and novelist; The Chimes
• Elizabeth Smart (1913–1986), Canadian novelist and poet; By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept
• Dorothea Smartt (born 1963), English poet
• Jane Smiley (born 1949), US novelist; 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction; A Thousand Acres
• Ali Smith (born 1962), Scottish novelist
• Amanda Smith (1837–1915), US evangelist and autobiographer
• Betty Smith (1896–1972), US novelist; A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
• Charlene Leonora Smith (living), South African journalist and biographer of Nelson Mandela
• Charlotte Turner Smith (1749–1806), English poet and novelist
• Dodie Smith (1896–1990), English novelist and playwright; I Capture the Castle
• Doris Buchanan Smith (1934–2002), US children's novelist; A Taste of Blackberries
• Georgina Castle Smith (1845–1933), English children's writer and novelist
• Maggie Smith (born 1977), US poet, editor and writer
• Patti Smith (born 1946), US singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist
• Pauline Smith (1882–1959), South African novelist
• Stevie Smith (1902–1971), English poet and novelist
• Tracy K. Smith (born 1972), African-US poet and educator; 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
• Zadie Smith (born 1975), English fiction writer and essayist; White Teeth
• Saundra Smokes (1954–2012), US journalist and playwright
• Laura J. Snyder (born 1964), historian and biographer
• Yan-kit So (1933–2001), Chinese food historian and cookery expert
• Gaele Sobott (born 1956), Australian short story, children's, and non-fiction author
• Edith Södergran (1892–1923), Finland-Swedish poet
• Zulu Sofola (1935–1995), Nigerian playwright and dramatist
• Kang Sok-Kyong (born 1961), Korean author
• Adeola Solanke (living), British-Nigerian playwright and screenwriter
• Elizabeth Solopova (born 1965), British philologist and academic
• Cathy Song (born 1955), US poet
• Susan Sontag (1933–2004), US essayist and novelist
• Oh Soo-yeon (born 1964), Korean author and essayist
• Fuyumi Soryo (born 1959), Japanese manga writer
• María de Zayas y Sotomayor (born 1590), Spanish novelist
• Muriel Spark (1918–2006), Scottish novelist; The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
• Terry Spear (living), US romance novelist
• Vanessa Spence (born 1961), Jamaican novelist
• Anne Spencer (1882–1975), US poet
• Elizabeth Spencer (1921–2019), US fiction writer
• Leonora Speyer (1872–1956), US poet and violinist; 1927 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
• Lina Spies (born 1939), South African poet
• Erica Spindler (1957), US writer of romantic thrillers and mystery novels
• Dana Spiotta (born 1966), US novelist
• Andrea Spofford (born 1986), poet and essayist
• Harriet Elizabeth Prescott Spofford (1835–1921), US fiction writer and poet
• Johanna Spyri (1827–1901), Swiss children's writer; Heidi
• Mariah Srygler (born 1991), poet and short story writer
• Marilyn Stablein (born 1946), US poet, essayist and fiction writer
• Ilse von Stach (1879–1941), German playwright, novelist and poet
• Madame de Staël (1766–1817), Swiss-French novelist
• Jean Stafford (1915–1979), US fiction writer; 1970 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
• Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815–1902), US feminist journalist and essayist
• Freya Stark (1893–1993), British travel writer
• Lilian Staveley (1878–1928), Christian writer and mystic publishing anonymously
• Christina Stead (1902–1983), Australian fiction writer; The Man Who Loved Children
• Danielle Steel (born 1947), US romance novelist
• Flora Annie Steel (1847–1929), English novelist
• Charlotte von Stein (1742–1827), German dramatist and friend of Goethe
• Gertrude Stein (1874–1946), US fiction writer, playwright and poet
• Joanne Stepaniak (born 1954), US vegan cookbook writer
• Jadene Felina Stevens (1947–2013), US poet
• Alzina Stevens (1849–1900), US labor leader and journalist
• Augusta Stevenson (1869–1976), writer of children's literature and a teacher
• Margo Taft Stever, US poet
• Maria W. Stewart (1803–1897), US feminist lecturer and journalist
• Mary Stewart (born 1916), English mystery and romance novelist
• Susan Stewart (born 1952), US poet, university professor and literary critic
• Maggie Stiefvater (born 1981), US young-adult fiction writer; The Raven Cycle series
• Ilka Stitz (born 1960), German historical thriller writer
• Wilma Stockenström (born 1933), South African writer, translator and actor
• Cynthia Stockley (1873–1936), South African novelist
• Ruth Stone (1915–2011), US poet
• Sam Stone (born 1965), English fiction writer and playwright
• Marie Stopes (1880–1958), English author, palaeobotanist and birth control advocate; Married Love
• Alfonsina Storni (1892–1938), Argentinian poet
• Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811–1836), US novelist; Uncle Tom's Cabin
• Susan Straight (born 1960), US fiction writer, essayist and academic
• Hesba Stretton (1832–1911), English children's writer
• Agnes Strickland (1796–1874), English history writer and poet
• Eva Strittmatter (1930–2011), German poet and children's writer
• Rashida Strober (living), US playwright
• Elizabeth Strout (born 1956), US fiction writer; 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction; Olive Kitteridge
• Jan Struther (1901–1953), Scottish-English hymn writer and novelist; Mrs Miniver
• Andrea Stuart (born 1968), Barbadian-British historian, biographer and journalist
• Lady Louisa Stuart (1757–1851), English memoirist and letter writer
• Toni Stuart (born 1983), South African poet
• Mrs C. C. Stumm (born 1857), African-US journalist
• Sarah Stup (born 1983), US writer
• Meridel Le Sueur (1900–1996), US journalist and novelist
• Heo Su-gyeong (born 1964), Korean poet
• Azalia Suhaimi (born 1985), Malaysian poet, writer
• Sulpicia I (fl. 1st century BC), Augustan poet
• Sulpicia II (fl. 1st century AD), satirist
• Merna Summers (born 1933), Canadian short story writer
• Jacqueline Susann (1918–1974), US novelist
• Efua Sutherland (1924–1996), Ghanaian playwright, children's author and dramatist
• Esi Sutherland-Addy (living), academician, writer, educationalist and human rights activist
• Shahnaz Fatmi (born 1949), Urdu and Hindi poet
• Bertha von Suttner (1843–1914), Austrian novelist and Nobel Prize winner
• Han Suyin (1916–2012), Chinese novelist, memoirist and essayist; A Many-Splendoured Thing
• Anni Swan (1875–1958), Finnish author of children's books, journalist and translator
• May Swenson (1913–1989), US poet and playwright
• Sydney, Lady Morgan (1781–1859), Irish novelist; The Wild Irish Girl
• Magda Szabó (1917–2007), Hungarian novelist, poet and playwright; The Door
• Mária Szepes (1908–2007), Hungarian esoteric and science-fiction novelist
• Wisława Szymborska (1923–2012), Polish poet

T

 

• Gladys Taber (1899–1980), US novelist and nature writer
• Maria Tacu (1949–2010), Romanian poet and prose writer
• Véronique Tadjo (born 1955), Côte d'Ivoire poet, novelist and artist
• Valerie Tagwira (living), Zimbabwean novelist
• Ise no Taiu or Taifu (early 11th century), Japanese poet
• Princess Tajima (died 708), Japanese poet
• Lisa Takeba (born 1983), Japanese screenwriter
• Jill Talbot (born 1970), US fiction and non-fiction writer and poet
• Amy Tan (born 1952), US novelist; The Joy Luck Club
• Meca Tanaka (born 1976), Japanese manga writer
• Shelley Tanaka (living), Canadian non-fiction children's writer
• Xue Tao (768–831), Chinese poet
• Yelizaveta Tarakhovskaya (1891–1968), Soviet Russian poet, playwright and children's author
• Sooni Taraporevala (born 1957), Indian screenwriter and photographer
• Lisa Ysaye Tarleau (1885–1952), US short story author
• Judith Tarr (born 1955), US author; The Hound and the Falcon
• Donna Tartt (born 1963), US novelist; 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
• Glenda R. Taylor (born 1955), US scholar and poet
• Ann Taylor (1782–1866), English poet and critic
• Elizabeth Taylor (1912–1975), English fiction writer; Angel
• Jane Taylor (1783–1824), English poet and novelist; "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"
• Susie Taylor (1848–1912), US teacher and memoir writer
• Teresia Teaiwa (1968–2017), I-Kiribati and US poet and academic
• Roma Tearne (born 1954), Sri Lankan novelist and artist
• Sara Teasdale (1884–1933), US lyrical poet
• Nadezhda Teffi (1872–1952), Russian-Soviet writer; Close Friends
• Anyte of Tegea (fl. early 3rd century BC), Greek poet
• Telesilla (fl. 510 BC), Greek poet
• Olena Teliha (1906–1942), Ukrainian poet
• Ana Tena (born 1966), Spanish writer in Ribagorçan Aragonese
• Claudine Guérin de Tencin (1682–1749), French literary patron and novelist
• Lourdes Teodoro (born 1946), Afro-Brazilian poet and academic
• Lisa St Aubin de Terán (born 1953), English novelist and memoirist; Keepers of the House
• Mary Church Terrell (1863–1954), African-US activist and journalist
• Josephine Tey (1896–1952), Scottish mystery novelist
• Celia Thaxter (1835–1894), US writer of poetry and stories
• Madeleine Thien (born 1974), Canadian fiction writer; Do Not Say We Have Nothing
• Audrey Thomas (born 1935), Canadian fiction writer
• Elean Thomas (1947–2004), Jamaican poet, novelist, journalist and activist
• Elizabeth Thomas (1770/1771–1855), English Gothic novelist and religious poet
• Louie Myfanwy Thomas (1908–68), Welsh writer and novelist
• Judith Thompson (born 1954), Canadian playwright; Lion in the Streets
• Samantha Thornhill (living), Trinidadian poet and author
• Margaret Farrand Thorp (1891–1970), author, English professor and journalist
• Rose Hartwick Thorpe (1850–1939), US poet and writer
• Torfhildur Þorsteinsdóttir (1845–1918), Icelandic fiction writer
• Hester Thrale (Mrs Piozzi, 1741–1821), English diarist and author; Anecdotes of the Late Samuel Johnson
• Fu Tianlin (born 1946), Chinese poet
• Petronella Johanna de Timmerman (1723–1786), Dutch poet and scientist
• Lillian Tindyebwa (living), Ugandan writer
• Nino Tkeshelashvili (1874–1956) - Georgian (country) children's author and suffragist
• Miriam Tlali (born 1933), South African novelist
• Miriam Toews (born 1964), Canadian novelist
• Ekaterine Togonidze (born 1981) Georgian journalist, novelist and activist
• Laura Tohe (born 1952), Native US author
• Olga Tokarczuk (born 1962), Polish writer and poet; Nobel prizewinner (2018)
• Lynn Toler (born 1958), US lawyer and arbitrator in the court series Divorce Court
• Tatyana Tolstaya (born 1951), Russian TV presenter, novelist and essayist
• Angela Topping (born 1954), English poet, literary critic and author
• Elena Topuridze (1922–2004), Georgian philosopher and non-fiction writer
• Fatma Aliye Topuz (1862–1936), Turkish Muslim novelist
• Lucrezia Tornabuoni (1425–1482), Italian poet
• Catharine Parr Traill (1802–1899), English-Canadian author and naturalist
• Clara Augusta Jones Trask (1839–1905), US writer
• P. L. Travers (1889–1996), Australian-British writer of Mary Poppins books
• Carmen Clemente Travieso (1900–1983), Venezuelan journalist and women's biographer
• Natasha Trethewey (born 1966), US poet; Mississippi Poet Laureate, winner of 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
• Terra Trevor (living), US writer
• Adriana Trigiani (living), Italian-US writer and filmmaker
• Sarah Trimmer (1741–1810), English children's writer and critic
• Flora Tristan (1803–1844), French socialist writer, feminist and activist
• Frances Trollope (1779–1863), English novelist and travel writer; Domestic Manners of the Americans
• Joanna Trollope (born 1943), English novelist
• Catherine Trotter (1679–1749), Scottish-English novelist, playwright and philosopher
• Trotula (11th–12th century), Spanish writer on women's medicine in Latin
• Jean Trounstine, activist, author and professor emerita
• Meta Truscott (1917–2014), Australian diarist and Ashgrove historian
• Sojourner Truth (1797–1883), US feminist; Ain't I a Woman?
• Máire Mhac an tSaoi (born 1922), Irish-language scholar, poet and writer
• To-wen Tseng (living), Chinese-US writer, journalist and children's writer
• Mariam Tsiklauri (born 1960), Georgian poet, children's author and translator
• Marina Tsvetaeva (1892–1941), Russian poet
• Barbara W. Tuchman (1912–1989), US author and historian; The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam
• Lily Tuck (born 1938), US fiction writer; The News from Paraguay
• Anastasia Tumanishvili-Tsereteli (1849–1932), Georgian writer, educator and influential feminist
• Evgenia Tur (1815–1892), Russian novelist and literary critic; Antonina
• Megan Whalen Turner (born 1965), US fantasy writer
• Agata Tuszynska (born 1957), Polish writer, poet and journalist
• Flora May Woodard Tuttle (1868–1931) American writer and journalist
• Diana Tutton (1915–1991), English novelist
• Violet Tweedale (1862–1936), Scottish writer and poet
• Chase Twichell (born 1950), US poet, professor and publisher
• Hilda Twongyeirwe (living), Ugandan writer and editor
• Anne Tyler (born 1941), US fiction writer and literary critic; 1989 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction; The Accidental Tourist

U

• Rosana Ubanell (born 1958), Spanish journalist and detective novelist
• Bahriye Üçok (1919–1990), Turkish academic, writer and women's rights activist
• Julia Urquidi (1926–2010), Nigerian memoirist
• Brenda Ueland (1891–1985), US-Norwegian writer, journalist and teacher; If You Want to Write: A Book About Art, Independence, and Spirit
• Zoila Ugarte de Landívar (1864–1969), Ecuadorian journalist, editor and suffragist
• Jenny Uglow (born 1940s), English biographer
• Dubravka Ugrešić (born 1949), Croatian novelist
• Hebe Uhart (born 1936), Argentine fiction writer
• Uhwudong (c.1440–1480), Korean writer, poet and dancer
• Lesya Ukrainka (1871–1913), Ukrainian poet
• Adaora Lily Ulasi (born 1932), Nigerian novelist and journalist
• Leonora Christina Ulfeldt (1621–1698), Danish author; Jammers Minde
• Anya Ulinich (born 1973), Russian writer; Petropolis
• Lyudmila Ulitskaya (born 1943), Russian writer; Medea and Her Children
• Linn Ullmann (born 1966), Norwegian novelist, critic and journalist
• Regina Ullmann (1884–1961), Swiss poet writing in German
• Rosina Umelo (born 1930), Nigerian short story and children's writer
• Luz María Umpierre (born 1947), Puerto Rican poet, critic and human rights activist
• Lily Unden (1908–1989), Luxembourg poet and painter
• Marie Under (1883–1980), Estonian poet
• Terry Underwood (born 1944), Australian author
• Sigrid Undset (1882–1949), Norwegian novelist and 1928 Nobel Prize in Literature-winner; Kristin Lavransdatter
• Chika Unigwe (born 1974), Nigerian fiction writer
• Jane Unrue (living), US writer and educator
• Makerita Urale (fl. 1990s), New Zealand playwright, producer and documentary director
• Azucena Grajo Uranza (1929–2012), Filipino fiction writer and playwright
• Ellen Urbani (born 1969), US author
• Joan Ure (1918–1978), Scottish poet and playwright
• Ofelia Uribe de Acosta (1900–1988), Colombian suffragist, journalist and editor
• Jane Urquhart (born 1949), Canadian novelist and poet; The Stone Carvers
• Julia Urquidi (1926–2010), Bolivian memoirist
• Lourdes Urrea (born 1954), Mexican poet, novelist and young adult writer
• Arantxa Urretabizkaia (born 1947), Spanish Basque-language novelist, screenwriter and poet
• Matilde Urrutia (1912–1985), Chilean memoirist
• Shereen Usdin (born 1962), South African writer
• Carmina Useros (1928–2017), Spanish writer, ceramicist and painter
• O. V. Usha (born 1948), Malayalam poet and fiction writer
• Ayu Utami (born 1968), Indonesian novelist, short story writer
• Kaari Utrio (born 1942), Finnish novelist; Isabella
• Arja Uusitalo (born 1951), Finnish poet and journalist
• Bea Uusma (born 1966), Swedish children's and non-fiction writer and medical doctor
• Uvavnuk (fl. early 20th century), Canadian Inuit poet
• Mellie Uyldert (1908–2009), Dutch astrologer and esoteric writer
• Buket Uzuner (born 1955), Turkish fiction and travel writer

V

• Celestine Vaite (born 1966), Tahiti novelist
• Matrena Vakhrusheva (1918–2000), Soviet-Russian Mansi poet and storyteller
• Katri Vala (1901–1944), Finnish poet
• Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez (born 1969), US novelist, journalist and screenwriter
• Aline Valek (born 1986), Brazilian writer, novelist and illustrator
• Elcina Valencia (born 1963), Colombian teacher and poet
• Elvira Farreras i Valentí (1913–2005), Spanish writer
• Jean Valentine (born 1934), US poet; New York State Poet Laureate
• Luisa Valenzuela (born 1938), Argentinian fiction writer
• Jennifer Vanasco (born 1971), US columnist and journalist
• Jane Vandenburgh (born 1948), US novelist, memoirist and non-fiction writer
• Galina Varlamova (born 1951), Evenk philologist in Russian, Evenk and Yakut
• Mahadevi Varma (1906–1987), Indian Hindi poet, freedom fighter and educationist
• Rahel Varnhagen (1771–1833), German essayist and correspondent
• Ana Vásquez-Bronfman (1931–2009) Chilean-French novelist and sociologist
• Marie Vassiltchikov (1917–1978), wartime Berlin diarist
• Mâliâraq Vebæk (1917–2012), Greenlandic translator, ethnographer and novelist
• Tatiana Vedenska (born 1976), Russian novelist
• Janine Pommy Vega (1942–2010), US poet associated with Beat generation
• Yvonne Vera (1964–2005), Zimbabwean novelist
• Anastasiya Verbitskaya (1861–1928), Russian novelist and dramatist; Keys to Happiness
• Caroline Vermalle (born 1973), thriller and historical novelist
• Seda Vermisheva (born 1932), Armenian-born Russian poet, economist and activist
• Octavia Walton Le Vert (1811–1877), US writer
• Lidia Veselitskaya (1857–1936), Russian novelist; Mimi's Marriage
• Pilar de Vicente-Gella (1942–2016), Spanish writer
• Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise du Deffand (1697–1780), French correspondent
• Soledad Fariña Vicuña (born 1943), Chilean poet
• Clara Viebig (1862–1952), German novelist and playwright
• Marie Vieux-Chauvet (1916–1973), Haitian novelist, poet and playwright
• Frida Vigdorova (1915–1965), Russian journalist and novelist
• Monica Vikström-Jokela (born 1960), Finnish-Swedish television scriptwriter and author
• Maruxa Vilalta (born 1932), Mexican playwright
• Mariya Vilinska (1833–1907), Russian-Ukrainian novelist and translator
• Clara Villarosa (born 1930), US entrepreneur and writer
• Marie-Catherine de Villedieu (1640–1683), French playwright and fiction writer
• Phillippa Yaa de Villiers (born 1966), South African poet and performance artist
• Louise Leveque de Vilmorin (1902–1969), French novelist, poet and journalist
• Elene Virsaladze (1911–1977), Georgian folklorist
• Jenny Visser-Hooft (1888–1939), Dutch traveler, mountaineer and writer
• Renée Vivien (1877–1909), French poet
• Helen Vlachos (1911–1995), Greek journalist, newspaper publisher and autobiographer
• Clara Voghan (born 1957), Argentinian romance writer
• Ellen Bryant Voigt (born 1943), US poet and essayist
• Zinaida Volkonskaya (1792–1862), Russian poet, short story writer and playwright
• Hava Volovich (1916–2000), Russian memoirist, actress and Gulag survivor
• Élisabeth Vonarburg (born 1947), French science fiction novelist
• Yekaterina Vorontsova-Dashkova (1743–1810), Russian memoirist
• Marko Vovchok (1833–1907), Russian-Ukrainian writer; Ukrainian Folk Tales
• Julia Voznesenskaya (born 1940), Soviet-Russian writer; The Women's Decameron
• Susanna de Vries (born 1936), Australian biographer
• Jurgen Vsych (born 1966), US director and screenwriter
• Anna Vyrubova (1884–1964), Russian memoirist

W

• Kit de Waal (born 1960), British-Irish novelist
• Charity Waciuma (born 1936), Kenyan novelist
• Elizabeth Wagele (1939–2017), US author and cartoonist
• Diane Wakoski (born 1937), US poet
• Kate Walbert (born 1961), US fiction writer
• Anne Waldman (born 1945), US poet
• Rosmarie Waldrop (born 1935), US poet, translator and publisher
• Alice Walker (born 1944), US fiction writer and poet; The Color Purple
• Margaret Walker (1915–1998), US poet and novelist
• Mildred Walker (1905–1998), US novelist
• Rebecca Walker (born 1969), US writer, feminist and activist
• Doreen Wallace (1897–1989), English novelist
• Effie Waller Smith (1879–1960), African-US poet
• Jeannette Walls (born 1960), US writer and journalist; The Glass Castle
• María Elena Walsh (1930–2011), Argentine poet, novelist and playwright
• Ania Walwicz (born 1951), Australian poet
• Shangguan Wan'er (c. 664–710), Chinese poet and prose writer
• Ayeta Anne Wangusa (born 1971), Ugandan writer and activist
• Zukiswa Wanner (born 1976), South African journalist and novelist
• Harriet Ward (1808–1873), non-fiction and fiction set in South Africa
• Jesmyn Ward (born 1977), US novelist and academic; Salvage the Bones
• Mary Augusta Ward (Mrs Humphrey Ward, 1851–1920), English novelist
• Gertrude Chandler Warner (1890–1979), US children's writer
• Susan Warner (1819–1885), US children's writer and songwriter
• Myriam Warner-Vieyra (1939–2017), Guadeloupe poet and novelist
• Dianne Warren (born 1950), Canadian fiction writer and playwright
• Wendy Wasserstein (1950–2006), US playwright
• Sarah Waters (born 1966), Welsh novelist; Fingersmith
• Fiona Watt (living), English children's author
• Margaret Way (living), Australian author of romance novels
• Catherine Webb (born 1986), British novelist
• Mary Webb (1881–1927), English novelist; Precious Bane
• Delia Weber (1900–1982) Dominican Republic writer, artist and women's rights advocate
• Ellen Lenneck (Helene Weichardt, 1851–1880), German fiction writer
• Anna Weidenholzer (born 1984), Austrian writer and journalist
• Simone Weil (1909–1943), French mystic and philosopher
• Hannah Weiner (1928–1997), US poet
• Jane Meade Welch (1854–1931), US journalist and lecturer
• Fay Weldon (born 1931), English author, essayist and playwright; The Life and Loves of a She-Devil
• Dorothy Wellesley (1889–1956), English poet
• Charlotte Fowler Wells (1814–1901), US phrenologist and publisher
• Ida B. Wells (1862–1931), African-US journalist and sociologist
• Martha Wells (born 1964), US novelist
• Eudora Welty (1909–2001), US fiction writer and photographer
• Viola S. Wendt (1907–1986), US poet and educator
• Cai Wenji (born AD 177), Chinese poet and composer
• Zhuo Wenjun (Wen Jun, 2nd century BC), Chinese poet
• Timberlake Wertenbaker (born 1946), US-English playwright, screenwriter, and translator; Our Country's Good
• Dorothy West (1907–1998), US fiction writer
• Jane West (1758–1852), English novelist, poet and playwright
• Jessamyn West (1902–1984), US fiction writer; The Friendly Persuasion
• Rebecca West (1892–1983), English novelist, essayist, and travel writer; Black Lamb and Grey Falcon
• Amy Westervelt (born 1978), journalist and writer
• Anne Wharton (1659–1685), English poet
• Edith Wharton (1862–1937), US fiction writer; The Age of Innocence
• Leslie What (born 1955), US fiction writer
• Phillis Wheatley (1753–1784), US poet
• Dorothy Whipple (1893–1966), English novelist
• Evelyn Whitaker (1857–1903), English novelist
• Antonia White (1899–1980), English fiction writer
• Dorothy White (c. 1630–1686), English religious writer
• Ellen White (1827–1915), US evangelist and prophetess
• Lilian Whiting (1847–1942), US journalist and author
• Isabella Whitney (born c. 1540), English poet
• Phyllis A. Whitney (born 1903), US mystery novelist
• Nancy Wicker (living), US art historian
• Anna Wickham (1884–1947), English poet
• Zoë Wicomb (born 1948), South African fiction writer
• Margaret Widdemer (1884–1978), US poet and novelist
• Ulrika Widström (1764–1841), Swedish poet and translator
• Elisabeth of Wied (pen name Carmen Sylva, 1843–1916), poet, playwright and Queen Consort of Romania
• Kate Douglas Wiggin (1856–1923), US educator and children's author
• Marianne Wiggins (born 1947), US novelist
• Susan Wiggs (born 1958), US novelist
• Krysty Wilson-Cairns (born 1987), Scottish screenwriter
• Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850–1919), US poet
• Lynn Wilder (born 1952), US author
• Charlotte Wilder (1898–1980), US poet
• Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867–1957), US children's writer; Little House on the Prairie
• Kate Wilhelm (1928–2018), US fiction writer
• Sandrine Willems (born 1968), writer
• Helen Maria Williams (1762–1827), English novelist and poet
• Margery Williams (1881–1944) English-US children's writer; The Velveteen Rabbit
• Sherley Anne Williams (1944–1999), US poet and novelist
• Mabel Williamson (fl. mid–20th century), US missionary
• Connie Willis (born 1945), US science fiction writer
• Elizabeth Willis (born 1961), US poet, literary critic and professor
• Harriet E. Wilson (1825–1900), US novelist
• Hazel Hutchins Wilson (1898–1992), US children's writer and librarian
• Jacqueline Wilson (born 1945), English children's writer
• Margaret Wilson (1882–1973), US novelist; 1924 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
• Sarah Winnemucca (1841–1891), US lecturer and autobiographer
• Kathleen Winter (born 1960), Canadian fiction writer, columnist and television screenwriter
• Jeanette Winterson (born 1959), English novelist
• Jane Wiseman (c. 1682–1717), English poet and playwright
• Monique Wittig (1935–2003), French writer and feminist
• Maria Petronella Woesthoven (1760–1830), Dutch poet
• Gabriele Wohmann (1932–2015), German fiction writer
• Christa Wolf (1929–2011), German novelist, critic and essayist
• Leslie Wolfe (born 1967), US novelist
• Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797), English novelist and feminist; A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
• Claire Wolniewicz (born 1966), French writer and journalist
• Frances Garnet Wolseley, 2nd Viscountess Wolseley (1872–1936), English garden writer
• Buffalo Bird Woman (1839–1932), Native US Hidatsa writer
• Jade Snow Wong (1922–2006), US ceramic artist and autobiographer
• Nellie Wong (born 1934), Chinese-US feminist poet; Dreams in Harrison Railroad Park
• Ellen (Mrs Henry) Wood (1814–1887), English novelist; East Lynne
• Jacqueline Woodson (born 1963), US children's and young-adult writer; Miracle's Boys
• Virginia Woolf (1882–1941), English novelist and essayist; Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse
• Abba Goold Woolson (1838–1921), US writer
• Constance Fenimore Woolson (1840–1894), US fiction writer
• Chun Woon-young (born 1971), Korean author
• Dorothy Wordsworth (1771–1855), English poet and diarist
• Elizabeth Strong Worthington (1851–1916), US writer
• C. D. Wright (born 1949), US poet
• Judith Wright (1915–2000), Australian poet
• Mary Tappan Wright (1851–1916), US fiction writer
• Lady Mary Wroth (1587–1652), English poet
• Audrey Wurdemann (1911–1960), US poet; won 1935 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
• Elinor Wylie (1885–1928), US poet and novelist
• Sylvia Wynter (born 1928), Jamaican novelist, dramatist and critic

X

• Xi Xi (born 1938), Chinese novelist and poet
• Xia Jia (born 1984), Chinese science-fiction and fantasy writer
• Xiao Hong (1911–1942), Chinese writer
• Xie Daoyun (before 340 – after 399), Chinese poet and scholar
• Bing Xin (1900–1999), Chinese writer
• Yu Xuanji (844–869 or 871), Chinese poet
• Xu Hui (627–650), Chinese poet
• Xu Kun (born 1965), Chinese postmodern fiction writer
• Lady Xu Mu (fl. 7th century BC), Chinese poet
• Xu Zihua (1873–1935), Chinese poet
• Halima Xudoyberdiyeva (born 1947), Uzbek poet; People's Poet of Uzbekistan
• Xue Susu (c.1564–1650?), Chinese poet
• Xue Tao (768–831), Chinese poet and courtesan
• Xue Xinran (born 1958), Chinese journalist and author
• Rao Xueman (born 1972), Chinese fiction writer and essayist

Y

• Rama Yade (born 1976), Senegalese politician and non-fiction writer
• Elham Yaghoubian (living), Iranian novelist
• Hisaye Yamamoto (1921–2011), Japanese-US short story writer
• Karen Tei Yamashita (born 1951), US novelist, playwright and academic; Tropic of Orange
• Empress Yamato (fl. later 7th century), Japanese poet
• Wakako Yamauchi (1924–2018), Japanese-US writer
• Hanya Yanagihara (born 1974), US novelist and travel writer; A Little Life
• Yang Gui-ja (born 1955), Korean novelist
• Tiphanie Yanique (born 1978), Caribbean-US fiction writer, poet and essayist
• Laura Yasán (born 1960), Argentine poet
• Chista Yasrebi (born 1968), Iranian writer, critic and translator
• Paula Yates (1959–2000), English television presenter and non-fiction writer
• Yana Yazova (Lyuba Todorova Gancheva, 1912–1974), Bulgarian poet and historical novelist
• Ann Yearsley (1753–1806), English poet, novelist and playwright
• Tatyana Yesenina (1918–1992), Russian novelist, journalist and memoirist
• Anna Yevreinova (1844–1919), Russian feminist writer, editor and letter writer
• Anzia Yezierska (1883–1970), Polish-US fiction writer
• Yi Geun-hwa (born 1976), Korean poet, educator
• Yi Kyoung-ja (born 1948), Korean fiction writer
• Gullu Yologlu (born 1963), Azerbaijani non-fiction writer and ethnologist
• Charlotte M. Yonge (1823–1901), English novelist; The Heir of Redclyffe
• Yoo An-jin (born 1941), Korean poet, essayist and educator
• Akiko Yosano (1878–1942), Japanese poet
• Banana Yoshimoto (born 1964), Japanese novelist
• Ekaterina Petrova Yosifova (born 1941), Bulgarian journalist, essayist and poet
• Ella Young (1867–1956), poet, Celtic mythologist and children's writer
• Yolanda Young (born 1968), US author and journalist
• Marguerite Young (1908–1995), US novelist, poet and academic; Miss MacIntosh, My Darling
• So Young-en (born 1943), Korea author
• Kang Young-sook (born 1966), Korean author
• Marguerite Yourcenar (1903–1987), Belgian-French novelist and essayist; Memoirs of Hadrian
• Yovanna (born 1940), Greek poet, novelist and songwriter
• Mallika Yunis (living), Indian novelist
• Sim Yunkyung (born 1972), Korean novelist
• Rose al Yusuf (1898–1958), Egyptian actress and journalist

Z

• Oksana Zabuzhko (born 1960), Ukrainian poet, novelist and non-fiction writer
• Rachel Zadok (living), South African novelist
• Jessica Zafra (born 1965), Filipino essayist, columnist
• Helen Zahavi (born 1966), British writer; Dirty Weekend
• Anna Zahorska (1882–1942), Polish poet, novelist and playwright
• Stefania Zahorska (1890–1961), Polish novelist, historian and non-fiction writer
• Shama Zaidi (born 1938), Indian art critic, screenwriter and filmmaker
• Zahida Zaidi (1930–2011), Indian poet, playwright and educator
• Lyubov Zakharchenko (1961–2008), Russian poet and songwriter
• Maria Julia Zaleska (1831–1889), Polish fiction writer and essayist
• Māra Zālīte (born 1952), Latvian poet and publisher
• Dina Zaman (1969), Malaysian short story writer, essayist and columnist
• María Zambrano (1904–1991), Spanish essayist and philosopher
• Daisy Zamora (born 1950), Nicaraguan poet
• Fatma Zohra Zamoum (born 1967), Algerian writer, filmmaker and educator
• Adela Zamudio (1854–1928), Bolivian poet, feminist and educator
• Giovanna Zangrandi (1910–1988), Italian novelist
• Giselda Zani (1909–1975), Italian-born poet, fiction writer and critic
• Maya Zankoul (born 1986), Lebanese artist, cartoonist and novelist
• Léontine Zanta (1872–1942), French novelist and feminist
• Gabriela Zapolska (1860–1921), Polish novelist, playwright and naturalist
• Ayşe Nur Zarakolu (1946–2002), Turkish publisher and human rights advocate
• Carol Zardetto (living), Guatemalan novelist and theater critic
• Shaïda Zarumey (born 1938), Nigerian sociologist and poet
• Zyranna Zateli (born 1951), Greek fiction and non-fiction writer
• Marya Zaturenska (1902–1982), US poet; won 1938 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
• Iris Zavala (born 1936), Puerto Rican poet, novelist and non-fiction writer
• María de Zayas (1590–1661), Spanish pioneer of literary feminism
• Amina Zaydan (born 1966), Egyptian fiction writer
• Katarzyna Ewa Zdanowicz-Cyganiak (born 1979), Polish poet, journalist and social scientist
• Zdenka Žebre (born 1929), Slovenian novelist and children's writer
• Alki Zei (born 1925), Greek novelist and children's writer
• Sylvia Aguilar Zéleny (born 1973), Mexican fiction writer
• Hana Zelinová (1914–2004), Slovak fiction writer and playwright
• Eva Zeller (born 1923), German poet and novelist
• Luisa Zeni (1896–1940), Italian writer
• Irena Žerjal (born 1940), Slovenian poet, novelist and translator
• Wu Zetian (624–705), Chinese poet, essayist and Empress regnant
• Zuzka Zguriška (1900–1984), Slovak novelist, playwright and translator
• Yulia Zhadovskaya (1824–1883), Russian poet and novelist
• Zhai Yongming (born 1955), Chinese poet
• Empress Zhangsun (601–636), Chinese moralist; Examples for Women
• Ban Zhao (45–116 CE), first female Chinese historian; Lessons for Women
• Vera Zhelikhovsky (1835–1896), Russian writer; The General's Will
• Polina Zherebtsova (born 1985), Russian poet and diarist; Ant in a Glass Jar
• Maria Zhukova (1804–1855), Russian writer; Evenings on the Karpovka
• Zhuo Wenjun (fl. 2nd century BC), Chinese poet
• Valentina Zhuravleva (1993–2004), Russian science fiction novelist
• Iryna Zhylenko (1941–2013), Ukrainian poet and essayist
• May Ziadeh (1886–1941), Lebanese-Palestinian poet, essayist and translator
• Annejet van der Zijl (born 1962), Dutch novelist and biographer
• Lydia Zimmermann (born 1966), Spanish filmmaker and screenwriter
• Alice Zimmern (1855–1939), English writer and translator
• Hedda Zinner (also Elisabeth Frank, 1905–1994), German political writer
• Marketa Zinnerová (born 1942), Czech novelist, screenwriter and children's writer
• Lydia Zinovieva-Annibal (1866–1907), Russian writer; The Tragic Menagerie
• Elvania Namukwaya Zirimu (1938–1979), Ugandan poet and dramatist
• Gertrude Bonnin (Zitkala-Sa, 1876–1938), Native US writer, editor and teacher
• Kathinka Zitz-Halein (1801–1877), German writer
• Nina Živančević (born 1957), Serbian-born playwright, poet and novelist
• Bina Štampe Žmavc (born 1951), Slovenian poet, playwright and children's writer
• Narcyza Żmichowska (1818–1876), Polish novelist and poet
• Inga Žolude (born 1984), Latvian fiction writer, playwright and translator
• Anna Zonová (born 1962), Czech fiction writer
• Halide Nusret Zorlutuna (1901–1984), Turkish poet, fiction writer and autobiographer
• Birgit Zotz (born 1979), Austrian non-fiction writer and essayist
• Vera Zouroff (born 1880), Chilean poet, novelist and writer
• Katarina Zrinska (c. 1625–1673), Croatian poet
• Pilar de Zubiaurre (1884–1970), Spanish essayist and letter writer
• Svetlana Žuchová (born 1976), Slovenian fiction writer and translator
• Berta Zuckerkandl (1864–1945), Austrian journalist, critic and non-fiction writer
• Zuo Fen (c. AD 255–300), Chinese poet
• Katka Zupančič (1889–1967), Slovenian children's poet, short story writer and playwright
• Unica Zürn (1916–1970), German poet and painter
• Cvijeta Zuzorić (1552–1648), Serbian lyric poet
• Rose Zwi (born 1928), Mexican-born South African-Australian fiction writer
• Fay Zwicky (1933–2017), Australian poet and academic
• Rajzel Żychlińsky (1910–2001), Polish-US Yiddish poet

Hilnga pa

• Feminist literary criticism
• Feminist science fiction
• Feminist theory
• Gender in science fiction
• List of biographical dictionaries of female writers
• List of early-modern women playwrights (UK)
• List of early-modern women poets (UK)
• List of female detective/mystery writers
• List of female poets
• List of women cookbook writers
• List of feminist literature
• List of female rhetoricians
• List of women hymn writers
• Norton Anthology of Literature by Women
• Women in science fiction
• Women Writers Project
• Women's writing in English
• Sophie (digital lib)

Mga panluwas na takod

• A Celebration of Women Writers
• SAWNET: The South Asian Women's NETwork Bookshelf
• Victorian Women Writers Project
• Voices from the Gaps: Women Artists and Writers of Color
• The Women Writers Archive: Early Modern Women Writers Online
• SOPHIE: a digital library of works by German-speaking women
• REBRA: a list of women writers from Brazil Archived 2017-02-21 at the Wayback Machine.. Biographies in Portuguese, English, and in Spanish
• Teena Lyons Website