7 Women Sci-fi Writers You Probably Haven't Heard Of

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Women writers have existed in science fiction for a lot longer than people think. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is considered one of the first sci-fi novels and an inventor of the genre, though science fiction by women actually existed long before that. For example, Margaret Cavendish wrote a science fiction novel, The Blazing World, in 1666. As the Radium Age of science fiction rolled around, more women writers appeared, but they aren’t as well-known. Here are seven women science fiction writers you may not have heard of.

Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain

I actually meant this author in a previous post talking about Radium Age books. Hossain was a Bengali feminist writer in British India, living from 1880 to 1932. Considered a pioneer for women in both Bangladesh and India, her works include Sultana’s Dream, a book where women and men have switched roles and live in a world called Ladyland. In this case, the women take on major roles in society while hiding away the men. At the time it was published, the book dispelled a lot of stereotypes concerning men and women.

A huge advocate of women’s education and a pioneer for feminism, Hossain wrote several novels, established schools for girls, and was also a political activist.

Here’s my post about 5 Amazing Early Radium Age Science Fiction Books that talks about Hossain’s work.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman

OK, this one might be cheating because you likely know Gilman through her short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper.” I read this story in high school, and it definitely stuck with me. Though this story may not specifically be “science fiction,” Gilman also wrote other books that strictly fall into that genre. Her works in sci-fi include the novel Herland, a utopian feminist story about a group of men who uncover a secret land filled only with women. These women created their own society, leaving them completely independent of men.

Gilman was also a socialist and an advocate of social reform, considered what’s called a “utopian feminist.” Unfortunately, she was also a eugenicist, which was more common during her lifetime. Due to her work as a sci-fi feminist writer, I thought I would still include her in this list while making a note of the fact.

Naomi Mitchison

Naomi Mitchison, born in 1897 and died in 1999, wrote both historical and science fiction. More than ninety books, in fact. The Corn King and Spring Queen, Mitchison’s 1931 book, is considered a huge historical novel of the 20th century and also one of the best. However, she also wrote science fiction.

I first heard about Mitchison’s work after learning about her sci-fi book Memoirs of a Spacewoman, which appeared in 1962. The book follows a woman named Mary who interacts with a range of aliens and deals with themes of communication, reproduction, and sexuality. A lot of her other books, including her historical novels, also deal with themes of feminism and other similar topics. She also wrote nonfiction on current events, poems, plays, and more.

Thea V. Harbou

You might know about the German silent film Metropolis, which appeared in 1927, directed by Fritz Lang. However, you might not know that Thea von Harbou acted as the film’s screenwriter. She also wrote the novel Metropolis in 1925. Her contribution of both the book and film make her an early woman science fiction writer in film, especially. Before writing Metropolis, Harbou created several other novels before transitioning to screenwriting.

A lot of her work took on a more nationalistic tone, however. I still think it’s important that I include her on this list, given her influence on screenwriting as well as science fiction.

Lee Hawkins Garby

I included Lee Hawkins Garby on this list, despite not much being known about her. She co-wrote the book The Skylark of Space with E. E. Doc Smith. This book appeared in 1928. It also holds the distinction of being the first book in which humans left the Solar System. Garby refused to disguise her gender or marital status. However, she only wrote The Skylark of Space and no other works, unfortunately.

Clare Winger Harris

Harris deserves a spot on this list for sure. She published a range of science fiction stories in the 1920s, but she was also the first woman to use her own name rather than a pseudonym. Most of her work appeared in the magazine Amazing Stories. However, she only wrote a total of twelve sci-fi stories. These developed into a collection called Away From the Here and Now.

A lot of her work also featured strong female characters, making her work distinct for the time. One critic wrote that, [Harris] was a woman writer in a genre generally written by men; she wrote stories that included portraits of feminine strength, and she offered visions of a science that was not solely the province of privileged white men.” Harris also wrote a single novel, as well as essays. Her work establishes her as an early feminist science fiction writer and one of the first women sci-fi writers in the Radium Age.

Lilith Lorraine

Historians don’t have much information on Lorraine’s life. However, Lilith Lorraine wrote several science fiction stories from the 1930s to the 1950s. Lorraine also wrote a chapbook titled “The Brain of the Planet.” Taking place in the 28th century, the chapbook featured concepts such as hovercraft and a female President of the United States. Like Clare Winger Harris, Lilith Lorraine also used her real name.

Besides “The Brain of the Planet” and her short stories, Lorraine also wrote poetry. Lorraine also wrote under a variety of pseudonyms, though not much is known about what the names were. Lorraine likely used these names to disguise her gender in her early career.

I greatly enjoyed conducting all this research this week. I might create another post similar to this. Stay tuned next week for another book review! Happy reading!

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