Rita Mae Brown (born November 28, 1944) is an American feminist writer, best known for her

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...

autobiographical An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

novel, ''

Rubyfruit Jungle ''Rubyfruit Jungle'' is the first novel by Rita Mae Brown. Published in 1973, it was remarkable in its day for its explicit portrayal of lesbianism. The novel is a coming-of-age autobiographical account of Brown's youth and emergence as a lesb ...

''. Brown was active in a number of civil rights campaigns and criticized the marginalization of lesbians within feminist groups. Brown received the Pioneer Award for lifetime achievement at the Lambda Literary Awards in 2015.

Biography

Early life

Brown was born in 1944 in

Hanover, Pennsylvania Hanover is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, southwest of York and north-northwest of Baltimore, Maryland and is north of the Mason-Dixon line. The town is situated in a productive agricultural region. The population was 16,429 at the ...

to an unmarried teenage mother and her mother's married boyfriend. Brown's birth mother left the newborn Brown at an orphanage. Her mother's cousin Julia Brown and her husband Ralph retrieved her from the orphanage, and raised her as their own in

York, Pennsylvania York (Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Yarrick''), known as the White Rose City (after the symbol of the House of York), is the county seat of York County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the south-central region of the state. The populatio ...

, and later in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Julia and Ralph Brown were active Republicans in their local party.

Education

Starting in late 1962, Brown attended the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

on a scholarship. In the spring of 1964, the administrators of the

racially segregated Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into race (human classification), racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crimes against hum ...

university expelled her for participating in the

civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...

. She subsequently enrolled at Broward Community College with the hope of transferring eventually to a more tolerant four-year institution.

Early career

Brown hitchhiked to New York City and lived there between 1964 and 1969, sometimes homeless, while attending

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

where she received a degree in Classics and English. In 1968, she received a certificate in cinematography from the New York School of Visual Arts. Brown received a Ph.D. in literature from Union Institute & University in 1976 and holds a doctorate in political science from the

Institute for Policy Studies The Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) is an American progressive think tank started in 1963 that is based in Washington, D.C. It was directed by John Cavanagh from 1998 to 2021. In 2021 Tope Folarin was announced as new Executive Director. ...

in Washington, D.C. Brown wrote for '' Rat'', an alternative bi-weekly that eventually became New York City's first women's liberation newspaper.

Later career

In 1982, Brown wrote a screenplay parodying the slasher genre titled ''Sleepless Nights''; retitled '' The Slumber Party Massacre'', the producers decided to play it seriously, and it was given a limited release theatrically. Brown is featured in the feminist history film '' She's Beautiful When She's Angry''.

Philosophical and political views

In the spring of 1964, during her study at the

in Gainesville, she became active in the

American Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the United ...

. Later in the 1960s, she participated in the

anti-war movement An anti-war movement (also ''antiwar'') is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term anti-war can also refer to p ...

, the

feminist movement The feminist movement (also known as the women's movement, or feminism) refers to a series of social movements and political campaigns for radical and liberal reforms on women's issues created by the inequality between men and women. Such ...

and the

Gay Liberation The gay liberation movement was a social and political movement of the late 1960s through the mid-1980s that urged lesbians and gay men to engage in radical direct action, and to counter societal shame with gay pride.Hoffman, 2007, pp.xi-xiii ...

movement. She was involved with the Student Homophile League at Columbia University in 1967 but left it because the men in the league were not interested in women's rights. She was involved in the

Redstockings Redstockings, also known as Redstockings of the Women's Liberation Movement, is a radical feminist nonprofit that was founded in January 1969 in New York City, whose goal is "To Defend and Advance the Women's Liberation Agenda". The group's name ...

, but also left the group because of its lack of involvement in lesbian rights. She then went on to join the

Gay Liberation Front Gay Liberation Front (GLF) was the name of several gay liberation groups, the first of which was formed in New York City in 1969, immediately after the Stonewall riots. Similar organizations also formed in the UK and Canada. The GLF provided a ...

, where she suggested the formation of an all-lesbian group, since many of the women felt excluded from the feminist movement and the male-led gay liberation movement. Brown took an administrative position with the fledgling

National Organization for Women The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It ...

, but resigned in January 1970 over comments by

Betty Friedan Betty Friedan ( February 4, 1921 – February 4, 2006) was an American feminist writer and activist. A leading figure in the women's movement in the United States, her 1963 book ''The Feminine Mystique'' is often credited with sparking the se ...

seen by some as anti-gay and by the NOW's attempts to distance itself from lesbian organizations. Brown claimed that ''lesbian'' was "the one word that can cause the Executive Committee f NOWa collective heart attack." Brown played a leading role in the "

Lavender Menace The Lavender Menace or revolution was an informal group of lesbian radical feminists formed to protest the exclusion of lesbians and their issues from the feminist movement at the Second Congress to Unite Women in New York City on May 1, 1970. Me ...

" zap of the Second Congress to Unite Women on May 1, 1970, which protested Friedan's remarks and the exclusion of lesbians from the women's movement.Related by Brown in her autobiography ''Rita Will''. Brown and other lesbians from the

created

The Woman-Identified Woman "The Woman-Identified Woman" was a ten-paragraph manifesto, written by the Radicalesbians in 1970. It was first distributed during the Lavender Menace protest at the Second Congress to Unite Women, on May 1, 1970, in New York City. It is now co ...

, which was distributed at the zap. The group that wrote the manifesto then went on to become the "Radicalesbians". While doing work for the American Civil Rights Movement, Brown was introduced to consciousness-raising groups, which she incorporated into the organizations she created and the ones she worked in. In the early 1970s, she became a founding member of The Furies Collective, a separatist

lesbian feminist Lesbian feminism is a cultural movement and critical perspective that encourages women to focus their efforts, attentions, relationships, and activities towards their fellow women rather than men, and often advocates lesbianism as the logic ...

collective in Washington, DC that held that heterosexuality was the root of all oppression. The women wanted to create a communal living situation for radical feminists. The group purchased two houses, where they lived together and used consciousness raising techniques to talk about things like homophobia, feminism, and child rearing. They believed that being a lesbian was a political act, not just a personal one. Brown was exiled from The Furies after a few months and the group dismantled in 1972, a year after its inception. When asked if she had ever really come out, she told ''Time'' in 2008,

I don't believe in straight or gay. I really don't. I think we're all degrees of bisexual. There may be a few people on the extreme if it's a bell curve who really truly are gay or really truly are straight. Because nobody had ever said these things and used their real name, I suddenly became the only lesbian in America. It was hysterical. It was a misnomer, but it's okay. It was a fight worth fighting.

Brown also does not consider herself a "lesbian writer" because she believes art is about connection and not about divisive labels. In a 2015 interview for ''The Washington Post'', Brown was asked if she thought awards in gay and lesbian literature were important; she replied:

I love language, I love literature, I love history, and I'm not even remotely interested in being gay. I find that one of those completely useless and confining categories. Those are definitions from our oppressors, if you will. I would use them warily. I would certainly not define myself — ever — in the terms of my oppressor. If you accept these terms, you're now lumped in a group. Now, you may need to be lumped in a group politically in order to fight that oppression; I understand that, but I don't accept it.

Honors, decorations, awards and distinctions

Brown received grants from the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

and the Massachusetts Arts Council to publish her novel ''Six of One''. In 1982, Brown was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program for '' I Love Liberty'', and again for the ABC mini-series ''The Long Hot Summer'' in 1985. She was co-winner of the 1982

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America is the joint efforts of two different US labor unions representing TV and film writers: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), headquartered in New York City and affiliated with the AFL–CIO * The Writers Gu ...

Award An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An awar ...

for ''I Love Liberty'', and the recipient of the New York Public Library's Literary Lion award of 1987. In 2015, Brown was presented the Pioneer Award for lifetime achievement at the 27th Lambda Literary Awards. In addition, Brown was nominated for an

Audie award The Audie Awards (, rhymes with "gaudy"; abbreviated from ''audiobook''), or simply the Audies, are awards for achievement in spoken word, particularly audiobook narration and audiodrama performance, published in the United States of America. They ...

, and won both AudioFile Earphones and Publishers Weekly Listen-Up awards. Brown received an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

from Wilson College in 1992.

Personal life

Starting in 1973, Brown lived in the

Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills are a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Geography The Hollywood Hills straddle the Cahuenga Pass within the Santa Monica Mountains. The neighborhood touches Studio City, Univer ...

in Los Angeles. In 1978, she moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, where she lived briefly with American actress, author, and screenwriter

Fannie Flagg Fannie Flagg (born Patricia Neal; September 21, 1944) is an American actress, comedian and author. She is best known as a semi-regular panelist on the 1973–1982 versions of the game show ''Match Game'' and for the 1987 novel '' Fried Green To ...

, whom she had met at a Los Angeles party hosted by

Marlo Thomas Margaret Julia "Marlo" Thomas (born November 21, 1937) is an American actress, producer, author, and social activist. She is best known for starring on the sitcom ''That Girl'' (1966–1971) and her children's franchise '' Free to Be... You and ...

. They later broke up due to, according to Brown, "generational differences", although Flagg and Brown are the same age. In 1979, Brown met and fell in love with tennis champion Martina Navratilova. In 1980, they bought a horse farm in Charlottesville where they lived together until their breakup, over Navratilova's then concern that coming out would hurt her application for U.S. citizenship. Brown still lives on the estate in Charlottesville.

Published works

Poetry

* "Dancing the shout to the true gospel or The song movement sisters don't want me to sing" was included in the 1970 anthology '' Sisterhood Is Powerful: An Anthology of Writings from the Women's Liberation Movement'', edited by

Robin Morgan Robin Morgan (born January 29, 1941) is an American poet, writer, activist, journalist, lecturer and former child actor. Since the early 1960s, she has been a key radical feminist member of the American Women's Movement, and a leader in the ...

. *''The Hand That Cradles the Rock'' (1971). *''Songs to a Handsome Woman'' (1973).

Novels

* ''

'' (1973) * ''In Her Day'' (1976) * ''A Plain Brown Rapper'' (June 1976) *'' Southern Discomfort'' (1983) * ''Sudden Death'' (1984) * ''High Hearts'' (1987) *'' Venus Envy'' (1994) * ''Dolley: A Novel of Dolley Madison in Love and War'' (1995) * ''Riding Shotgun'' (1996) *''Alma Mater'' (2002)

Runnymede books

* '' Six of One'' (1978) * ''

Bingo Bingo or B-I-N-G-O may refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * Bingo, a game using a printed card of numbers ** Bingo (British version), a game using a printed card of 15 numbers on three lines; most commonly played in the UK and Ireland ** Bi ...

'' (1988) * '' Loose Lips'' (1999) * ''The Sand Castle'' (2008) * ''Cakewalk'' (2016)

Mysteries

;Mrs. Murphy Mysteries The Mrs. Murphy Mysteries include "Sneaky Pie Brown" as a co-author. #''Wish You Were Here'' (1990) #''Rest in Pieces'' (1992) #''Murder at Monticello'' (1994) #''Pay Dirt'' (1995) #''Murder, She Meowed'' (1996) #''Murder on the Prowl'' (1998) #''Cat on the Scent'' (1999) #''Pawing Through the Past'' (2000) #''Claws and Effect'' (2001) #''Catch as Cat Can'' (2002) #''The Tail of the Tip-Off'' (2003) #''Whisker of Evil'' (2004) #''Cat's Eyewitness'' (2005) #''Sour Puss'' (2006) #''Puss n' Cahoots'' (2007) #''The Purrfect Murder'' (2008) #''Santa Clawed'' (2008) #''Cat of the Century'' (2010) #''Hiss of Death'' (2011) #''The Big Cat Nap'' (2012) #''Sneaky Pie for President'' (2012) / — Not a Mrs. Murphy mystery #''The Litter of the Law'' (2013) #''Nine Lives to Die'' (2014) #''Tail Gait'' (2015) #''Tall Tail'' (2016) #''A Hiss Before Dying'' (2017) #''Probable Claws'' (2018) #''Whiskers in the Dark'' (2019) #''Furmidable Foes'' (2020) #''Claws for Alarm'' (2021) #''Hiss and Tell'' (Scheduled March 28, 2023) "Sister" Jane Mysteries #''Outfoxed'' (2000) #''Hotspur'' (2002) #''Full Cry'' (2003) #''The Hunt Ball'' (2005) #''The Hounds and the Fury'' (2006) #''The Tell-Tale Horse'' (2007) #''Hounded to Death'' (2008) #''Fox Tracks'' (2012) #''Let Sleeping Dogs Lie'' (2014) #''Crazy Like a Fox'' (2017) #''Homeward Hound'' (2018) #''Scarlet Fever'' (2019) #''Out of Hounds'' (2021) Mags Rogers Mysteries #''A Nose for Justice'' (2010) #''Murder Unleashed'' (2010)

Nonfiction

* ''Starting from Scratch: A Different Kind of Writer's Manual'' (1988). * ''Rita Will: Memoir of a Literary Rabble-Rouser'' (1997). * ''Sneaky Pie's Cookbook For Mystery Lovers'' (1999). * ''Animal Magnetism: My Life with Creatures Great and Small'' (2009).

Screenplays

* ''I Love Liberty'' (1982; TV special) * '' The Slumber Party Massacre'' (1982; feature film) * '' The Long Hot Summer (1985; TV movie) * '' My Two Loves'' (1986; TV movie) * ''Me and Rubyfruit'' (1989;

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

interpretation of ''Rubyfruit Jungle'') * ''Rich Men, Single Women'' (1990; TV movie) * ''

The Woman Who Loved Elvis ''The Woman Who Loved Elvis'' is a 1993 American drama television film, directed by Bill Bixby and written by Rita Mae Brown, based on the 1992 novel ''Graced Land'' by Laura Kalpakian. It stars Roseanne Barr and her then-husband Tom Arnold. Also ...

'' (1993; TV movie) * ''Mary Pickford: A Life on Film'' (1997; documentary) * '' Murder She Purred: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery'' (1998; TV movie)

References

External links

Official website
*

by Blase DiStefano in ''OutSmart'' magazine, January 1998.
Video of Rita Mae Brown
talking about her book, ''The Hounds and the Fury'', fox hunting, and animals in general. — November 2006.
Rita Mae Brown's papers
are at the

Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library The Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia is a research library that specializes in American history and literature, history of Virginia and the southeastern United States, the history of the Universit ...

at the University of Virginia.
Governor for a Day
1962 account of 17-year Brown serving as stand-in for Florida Governor C. Farris Bryant. * She's Beautiful When She's Angry fil
website
Film includes interviews with Brown about her activism work.
NPR Interviews
with Rita Mae Brown {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Rita Mae 1944 births Living people 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American women writers American feminist writers American mystery writers American women novelists American women poets American women screenwriters American LGBT novelists American LGBT poets LGBT rights activists from the United States LGBT screenwriters Women mystery writers LGBT people from Pennsylvania People from Hanover, Pennsylvania Screenwriters from Pennsylvania People from Afton, Virginia People from Charlottesville, Virginia Screenwriters from Virginia Fort Lauderdale High School alumni University of Florida alumni New York University alumni School of Visual Arts alumni Union Institute & University alumni Lavender Menace members Broward College alumni