bell hooks, famed poet and feminist writer, dies

By Leah Asmelash | CNN

bell hooks — the beloved poet, author, feminist and prof — has died, announced Berea College, the assemblage astatine which she taught, connected Wednesday. She was 69.

“Berea College is profoundly saddened astir the decease of doorbell hooks, Distinguished Professor successful Residence successful Appalachian Studies, prodigious author, nationalist intelligence and 1 of the country’s foremost feminist scholars,” the assemblage wrote.

hooks passed distant successful her location aft an “extended illness,” according to Berea College.

Known for her penning connected race, sex and sexuality, hooks published much than 30 books implicit the people of her lifetime, including 1981’s “Ain’t I a Woman? Black Women and Feminism” and “All About Love” successful 1999.

Throughout her life, hooks’ dedication to accessible feminist mentation remained strong. In a 2015 interrogation with the New York Times, hooks stated that her main volition was to “produce mentation that radical could use.”

“I person this operation that I use, ‘working with the work,’” hooks said. “So if idiosyncratic comes up to me, and they person 1 of those doorbell hooks books that’s abused and battered, and each leafage is underlined, I cognize they’ve been moving with the work. And that’s wherever it is for me.”

Her enactment wide influenced modern writers, galore of whom shared their grievances connected societal media pursuing the announcement.

“As a archetypal procreation assemblage student, doorbell hooks was the archetypal writer I encountered via academia whose enactment I was capable to enthusiastically sermon with friends and fam *outside* academia,” wrote Saeed Jones, writer of the award-winning memoir “How We Fight for Our Lives.” “My ma and I work doorbell hooks together. I’ll ever cherish the mode her enactment bridged shores.”

“Oh my heart. doorbell hooks. May she remainder successful power. Her nonaccomplishment is incalculable,” wrote Roxane Gay, writer of “Bad Feminist.”

“I americium heartbroken. doorbell hooks’ words helped to marque maine the writer one am, taught maine me that determination is nary shame successful centering emotion and tenderness, successful approaching and embracing it. with ferocity,” wrote Bolu Babalola, writer of “Love successful Colour.” “she is an everlasting unit and blessing whitethorn she remainder successful cleanable peace.”

Born Gloria Jean Watkins successful Hopkinsville, Kentucky, hooks took her pen sanction from her maternal great-grandmother, Bell Blair Hooks. She won aggregate awards during the people of her career, and taught astatine aggregate universities, astir precocious astatine Berea College successful Berea, Kentucky.