Yesterday I saw that Flavorwire had posted a list of 10 Real-Life Literary Power Couples. There were no lesbians. So I tweeted about that. And decided to start a list here to include some of the suggestions I got, both present-day and historical.
Note: I'm using the terms lesbian, lit, couple, power and even historical loosely. Though, okay, 'couple' means they probably had (or, hey, are still having) sex with each other, and 'lit' means they were or are writer, publisher, editor, critic, translator, distributor, agent and/or founder of some importance and influence.
- Margurite Yourcenar and Grace Frick
- Jackie Kay and Carol Ann Duffy
- Sarah Orne Jewett and Annie Fields
- Val McDermid and Kelly Smith
- Barbara Grier and Donna McBride
- Delia Sherman and Ellen Kushner
- Sappho and Atthis
- Minnie Bruce Pratt and Leslie Feinberg
- Renée Vivien and Natalie Barney
- Victoria Brownworth and Judith Redding
- Ann Godoff and Annik LaFarge
- Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf
- Margaret Anderson and Jane Heap
- Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas
- Melissa Scott and Lisa A. Barnett
- Shirley Meier and Karen Wehrstein
- Zoë Strachan and Louise Welsh
- Rita Mae Brown and Fannie Flagg
- Ivy Compton-Burnett and Margaret Jourdain
- Patricia Highsmith and Marijane Meaker
- Kelley Eskridge and Nicola Griffith
- Gloria Anzaldúa and Cheríe Moraga
- Alice Walker and Tracy Chapman
- Adrienne Rich and Michelle Cliff
- H.D. and Bryher
- Anne-Marie MacDonald and Alisa Palmer
- Marie-Claire Blaise and Mary Meigs
- Amy Bloom and Joy Johannessen
- Emma Donoghue and Chris Roulston
- Susie Orbach and Jeanette Winterson
- Charlotte Mendelson and Joanna Briscoe
- Louise Fitzhugh and Sandra Scoppettone
- Tanya Huff and Fiona Patton
- Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner
Thanks to @RonHogan, @karolnielson @Bluestalking @timothypower67 @cd_coleman @kelleyeskridge @kellyoyo @klytaemnestra @BeMissH @ktirah @Julia_Watcon @syntactics @The_Nomad_Motel @cecilseaskull and others.
So, as I've said, this is just a start. Make suggestions (here in the comments or Facebook or Twitter) and I'll add.
