Acclaimed poet and writer Adrienne Rich passed away Wednesday at the age of 82 in her Santa Cruz home from complications of rheumatoid arthritis. Known for her influence in feminist culture, gay rights, and anti-war mantra, the award-winning author leaves behind a prized collection of more than a dozen volumes of literary works including poetry and non-fiction essays.
Rich first gained national exposure as her poetry collection, “Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law” made it onto college campuses, capturing the hearts and voices of young feminist activists across the nation. During her lifetime, she published more than a dozen volumes of poetry and five collections of nonfiction.
Rich was the winner of a National Book Award for “Diving into the Wreck” in 1974 and a subsequent winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award in Poetry for “The School Among the Ruins” in 2004. She was also the recipient of a MacArthur “genius” fellowship, two Guggenheim Fellowships and many top literary awards including the Brandeis Creative Arts Medal, Bollingen Prize, the Wallace Stevens Award, and the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, according to the Silicon Valley Mercury News.
The poet was married twice before later coming out as a lesbian in 1976. She lived with partner Michelle Cliff until her passing.
Rich leaves behind three children from her first marriage.
