“Shrill feminist harpy” speaking at USU tonight and tomorrow

On October 12 and 13th, feminist writer Sarah Gailey is visiting Utah State University to deliver readings and a lecture about the power of women’s voices in Utah. The reading will take place at 7 p.m. on October 12, and the lecture, “Fear of the Female Voice,” will be delivered on October 13 at 11 a.m. Both events will take place in room 101 in the Merrill-Cazier Library.

Originally from Oakland, California, Gailey lives with her husband and two dogs. Nominated for a Hugo Award for her discussion of the women in Harry Potter, as well as a nomination for a John W. Campbell award for best new writer, Gailey has been recognized nationally for her written works.

Gailey is an amazon bestseller with her “River of Teeth” novellas. She has also published columns for Barnes and Noble and Tor.com. Some of her recent credits involve Fireside Fiction, Mothership Zeta, and Speculative Bookshop Anthology.

Not originally planning on writing as a career, Gailey said she found her passion when a friend asked her for an early edit of his work.

“Reading his stories, I thought to myself, ‘I could really do this,’” she said. “I decided to give it a try and I engaged in that narrative female silence.”

Describing herself as a “shrill feminist harpy,” Gailey is a strong feminist and social critic who voices her opinions strongly throughout her works.   

Gailey will be discussing the power of females in historical and contemporary political context during her speech. She hopes to leave students feeling more confident in themselves.

“I hope students leave the lecture feeling empowered and they have a better and more thorough understanding of why it is important for women to have the courage to speak,” she said. “It is something that I am very passionate about. I think that a lot of USU students will be able to relate to this in particular.”