Sapphic Authors to Know

Is your life lacking in sapphic literature goodness? Here are some of our favorite sapphic authors, of all genres. 

Carmen Maria Machado

Genre: Horror, Memoir

Carmen Maria Machado is one of my personal favorite authors, and she has created incredible works of literature, specifically, her debut memoir, In The Dream House, and her collection of short horror stories, Her Body and Other Parties. In The Dream House is the most compelling memoir I’ve ever read, and is a depiction of Machado’s experience in an abusive queer relationship, told through the house that the two of them shared. In contrast, Her Body and Other Parties is just as beautiful but a more fictional look at the realities of existing as a femme-presenting person today. The stories themselves are examples of the experimental story structures Machado often uses, with the collection including a story told through re-written descriptions of Law and Order SVU, a retelling of  “The Green Ribbon” by Dirk Zimmer, and more. 

Julia Armfield

Genre: Horror

Another brilliant example of sapphic horror is Julia Armfield, with Our Wives Under the Sea, and her collection of short stories, Salt Slow. Our Wives Under the Sea is a classic comes-back-wrong horror novel that centers around two women, one of whom has returned from a catastrophic deep-sea mission as a far different person. Just as sad and emotionally devastating as it is scary and unsettling, Armfield creates a beautiful balance between the horror and its catastrophic impacts. Salt Slow is also an example of a collection of horror short stories surrounding the treatment of the femme-identified body. Still, it also explores characters through their experiences with isolation, obsession, and love. Armfield has another book set to release in December 2024, Private Rites, which I am personally very excited about, as it is a queer-fantasy re-imagining of King Lear.

Alejandra Pizarnik

Genre: Poetry

Alejandra Pizarnik is one of my favorite lesser-known sapphic poets. She was a bisexual Jewish-Argentinian poet, whose poems have often been compared to those of Sylvia Plath. Pizarnik wrote several love letters to Silvina Ocampo, another Argentinian author at the time.  Her poems deal with themes of feeling othered, due to her Jewish identity, her mental health issues, and her queerness, as well as themes of death, madness, and loneliness. Yvette Siegert has translated two books of Pizarnik’s poetry into English, Extracting the Stone of Madness and A Musical Hell, both of which are beautiful examples of Pizarnik’s poetic genius translated for an English-speaking audience. 

Tamsyn Muir

Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy

If horror and yearning poetry about otherness aren’t your style, Tamsyn Muir’s hilarious science-fiction/fantasy Locked Tomb series might be! Gideon the Ninth, the first book in the series, follows Gideon Nav, local butch just doing her best to antagonize the necromantic nuns she was raised by, as she enters into a deadly hunt for the mystery to godhood as the bodyguard to Harrowhark Nonagesimus, the Reverend Daughter and head of the church they were both raised in. Muir balances the gothic mystery with Gideon’s humorous internal monologue and genuinely delightful side characters. Once I started reading this book, I couldn’t put it down and had to head to the library immediately after finishing the first book to get the rest of the series. The two sequels currently published do not disappoint, and overall the series is a delightful and devastating representation of sapphic science fiction and fantasy. 

Malinda Lo

Genre: Historical Fiction, Coming of Age

Last summer, I was searching for sapphic books with a butch main character when I stumbled into Malinda Lo’s Last Night at the Telegraph Club. I’m not often a historical fiction fan, but this beautifully written depiction of a young Chinese-American lesbian growing up in 1950s San Fransisco’s Chinatown and exploration of San Fransisco’s historical gay bars convinced me. The book follows 17-year-old Lily Hu as she falls in love with her classmate, Kathleen Miller, and their early introductions to the lesbian bar scene of the 50s. Lo balances historical accuracy with hope for a better future to create an overall happy historical queer love story, rather than the usual endings of historical lesbians where they are separated forever or die for their love. 

Ashley Herring Blake

Genre: Romance, YA

Looking for a good old-fashioned lesbian romance from this list? Don’t worry, because Ashley Herring Blake is one of our favorite romance authors right now. She writes both adult romance and YA romance, but we’re fans of her most recent romances: Delilah Green Doesn’t Care, Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fall, and Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date. All three novels center around women who fall together due to forced proximity and initial resistance to a relationship, and are full of fun sapphic sweetness. Each couple from each book also appears in the other romances, which creates a fun connection between the novels. If you’re looking for something fun, and more than a little sexy, Ashley Herring Blake’s novels are for you. 

Addison Herron-Wheeler

Genre: Science Fiction, YA Mystery

Addison Herron-Wheeler is our lovely co-publisher and editor-in-chief here at OFM, and has written several books! Our fiction favorites are Respirator, a collection of science fiction short stories and poems, and @SweetScarlett, a YA mystery novel. Respirator explores dystopian futures by depicting visions of destroyed wastelands, poisoned environments, and interstellar explorations. Herron-Wheeler emphasizes human existence amid these dystopias and explores human kindness, desperation, and deceit throughout. In contrast, @SweetScarlett describes a group of friends grappling with the fact that there might be more to the popular girl’s tragic death than they thought. If you’re looking for contemplative sci-fi or a fun YA mystery, Herron-Wheeler’s books are a great read.