Inspiring Faces

Snow Leopard was released last Friday and b, who is crazy for all things Mac, picked us up a family copy that afternoon. Now this latest operating system doesn't have a whole lot of fancy bells and whistles for the user (actually since installing it I've lost my ability to print at the office)--although it does take up considerably less hard drive space than Leopard and that's always a plus--but the install forced me to reconsider my screensaver.

Both my work and home offices have nice large screens and, since my computer is always on in one of those places, my screensaver becomes a pretty important visual accompaniment to my thoughts. Previously my screensaver pulled random pictures of my family from one of my files and threw them willy-nilly on my desktop. This was a comforting backdrop to my academic world.

I have another file of author photos from my favorite writers. They are all women and many are in their "later years." I love looking at older women's faces--those that are "real" and not sculpted or botoxed--so these images inspire me with their natural beauty, their strength, and their wisdom. They also are a continual reminder--as I slave over scientific jargon--that there is another world out there; a world of words that sing while they tell truth. I thought I'd share some of the faces that are now inspiring me on a daily basis:

Ursula K Le Guin...of course


Probably my favorite image of Virginia Woolf


Toni Morrison...one of my all time favorite author photos (and authors)


Anne Carson...another favorite author photo


Maxine Hong Kingston...absolutely stunning


Adrienne Rich...I dream of growing old this gracefully


Jamaica Kincaid...I love her expression in this photo


Sharon Olds...as beautiful as her poems


Octavia Butler...the world is a poorer place without her in it