Tootfinder

In any case, day 2: Ursula K Le Guin.
As I've said elsewhere, part of her science fiction thesis is that "human" can encompass much more than what we mere Terrans think of it as, and that moral standing extends broadly throughout the universe. This is the antithesis of Tokens fantasy, wherein "race" is real and determines moral standing. For Le Guin, it's barely okay to intervene in complex alien politics unless you carefully ensure you're not causing systemic harms; for Tolkien, it's okay to ambush and murder orc children, because they are by nature evil.
Add to her excellent politics Le Guin's masterful worldbuilding and unparalleled range of plots, and you have the one author I loved as a decidedly liberal and naïve teen and love even more now that I'm an adult. She's an absolute legend and deserves a very high place on any list of women authors (or list of authors, period.).
For a short story, try "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" which you can read here: https://www.utilitarianism.com/nu/omelas.pdf
For fantasy "A Wizard of Earthsea" (also has a nice graphic novel adaptation), or for science fiction, "The Left Hand of Darkness" or if you want a more anarchist flavor, "The Dispossessed."
I'll close this with an amazing quote from her:
"""
We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art, and very often in our art, the art of words.
"""

Via @…
Challenge: "Name 20 female authors you admire, 1 per day"
N. K. Jemisin.
Incredibly powerful writing and writes science fiction and fantasy that I actually enjoy reading after getting disillusioned with the Tolkein lineage for its deep racism & colonialism. Her Stone Sky series is wildly creative in terms of world building, had an excellent epic plot to rival any of the other greats you could name, has complex and compelling characters, and a satisfying conclusion. She's won the right awards, and I hope that that translates into a lineage of people building in her ideas as rich as Tolkien's.

AWAKE! FEAR! FIRE! FOES! AWAKE!
FEAR! FIRE! FOES!
AWAKE! AWAKE!
-- J. R. R. Tolkien

The headline begins innocently enough and the spirit rises a little but as one reads on, it swiftly turns to horror. By the gods, this is madness!
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8ex0j4y5jzo

Plans to reopen Tolkien and Lewis pub in Oxford approved
Planning permission and listed building consent is granted to restore The Eagle and Child in Oxford.

Day 15 (belated): Darcie Little Badger
An Indigenous author of YA fiction, Little Badger writes warm characters with deep hearts, and of course offers a fantasy world that feels refreshingly different to anyone steeped mainly in fantasy of the Tolkien lineage. Would be nice if works like hers weren't rare and didn't seem exotic, but that's not the world we live in.
I greatly enjoyed "A Snake Falls to Earth" and need to remember to grab more from her soon, although my current library crop is sitting at something like 8 books to do through first.
#20AuthorsNoMen