Diane Middlebrook, noted feminist biographer and intellectual, passes away

Diane Middlebrook, noted feminist poet, biographer and teacher died Saturday in San Francisco of terminal cancer. Middlebrook became famous largely for her biographies of 20th century women poets and authors, most notably those of Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath. Her work affirmed and celebrated the complex women behind the public personas, and made literary history accessible to scholars and laypeople alike. Middlebrook was also deeply involved in a life of intellectual discovery and creative exploration through literary salons and her time at Stanford. Said one of her contemporaries, “... Diane was interested in people, especially in women and what they were encountering in their professional lives.” “[She] was fabulous at drawing us out, making an environment where women could talk about their dreams, about things they wanted to invent and do," said San Francisco artist Squeak Carnwath. A pioneer in feminist academia, Middlebrook’s articulate voice will be sure to influence generations of intellectuals in years to come.