Women in Translation Month Spotlights Diverse Authors and New Releases

The annual Women in Translation Month, highlighted by GLLI, celebrated the 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction winner Yael van der Wouden, who publicly identified as intersex and acknowledged trans activists during her acceptance speech. The prize’s recent history also includes trans author Torrey Peters, long‑listed in 2021, and the independent Tilted Axis Press, noted for publishing works by global majority writers.

In a related cultural feature, librarian Karla Strand introduced an August 2026 reading list of fifteen books by writers from historically excluded groups. Selections include “Plant Lady” by Kang Minyoung (translated by Shanna Tan), a novel about a Korean plant‑shop owner’s revenge; “Silencio” by Clyo Mendoza (translated by Christina MacSweeney), which blends real and imagined narratives on narcotrafficking and violence against women; and “Triage” by Claudia Rankine, a nonfiction work reflecting on confronting hardship.

Both pieces underscore ongoing efforts to broaden literary representation and promote inclusive reading across languages and identities.