Tillie Olsen
(b. 1913)

Tillie Olsen is often recognized as one of the earliest spokespersons for the women's movement, her writing and speaking often commenting on feminist values and labor issues. Born in Nebraska, Olsen struggled with poverty, illness, a failing family farm, and the social and professional limitations that were placed on women in the early part of the 20th century.

Olsen began writing in the 1930s, at about the same time that the first of her four children was born. Though she wrote fewer pieces as the demands of childrearing increased, the works she finished were rich with images of home life, parenting, and messages of what possibilities lay before the women of her time. In spite of her limited education, Olsen has taught or held residences at Amherst College, Stanford University, MIT, and Kenyon College. Her works include I Stand Here Ironing, Silences, Yonnondio, and Tell Me a Riddle, which won an O. Henry Award for Best Short Story of the Year (1961).

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