Noted Writer And Academic bell hooks Dies At 69
bell hooks, a critically acclaimed author, feminist and public intellectual, has reportedly died in her home in Berea, Kentucky. She was 69.
According to a press release by her niece Ebony Motley, she had been ill and was surrounded by her friends and family when she passed away.
Born Gloria Jean Watkins on September 25, 1952 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, hooks attended segregated schools before attending Stanford University. She then earned a master’s in English at the University of Wisconsin and a doctorate in literature at the University of California at Santa Cruz.
hooks published her first book Ain’t I a Woman? Black Women and Feminism in 1981, and then went on to a literary career that had her writing 40 more books, including essays, poetry and children’s books. She covered feminism, racism, culture, politics, gender roles, love, and spirituality in her works.
In 2010, Berea College in Kentucky opened the bell hooks Institute at Berea College, which housed her collection of contemporary African-American art, personal artifacts and copies of her books published in other languages.
According to Kentucky.com, a celebration of life will be announced at a later time. An official cause of death has yet to be announced.
Contributions and memorials can be made to the Christian County Literacy Council via Paypal here. A biographical exhibit is currently on display.
