As many of you know, I’m trying to read a couple Zora Neale Hurston books to get deeper into her not-insignificant bibliography. But she’s not alone on the list of black women whose work I wish I could read and analyze full-time. Who wants to fund a PhD program for me to spend 100% of my time on the following 20 names?

1. Maya Angelou | As I write this list, I’m listening to her recitation of “Phenomenal Woman” on an Olympic commercial. Much like that poem, Maya Angelou is timeless, and I’d absolutely love to read everything she’s written, since I can no longer take her course.
2. Toni Morrison | Another obvious choice, because Toni Morrison has written prolifically in her adulthood. The last book I read by her was God Help the Child, which was great, but still not quite as good as her other works. I’m thinking it’s time…