Read of late, and yet to read...

I have been reading Alice Walker, the black womanist writer and activist, who is by all accounts a marvellous woman, and I am honoured to be reading her thoughts and experiences - her words as a woman and a writer are very inspiring to me, and I feel that I want to write when I have read just a few pages of her work. Her wise words help one to be more aware of needing to have compassion and empathy for all humans, and the Earth itself, and to live with integrity, strength, and yet joy - a deep joy that carries us through the difficult and sad parts of life, as well as the better times.

Yet to read:
Journals and Papers: A Selection, Kierkegaard, published by Penguin. I have been wanting to read Kierkegaard ever since my sister Petra started reading his work for honours. I look forward to some stimulating, and, I'm sure, often challenging reading.
Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich. Technically, I have already started reading this, but only last night, and I am only a few pages in, so I do not want to rush into reflecting on this amazing work.
Orlando by Virginia Woolf, simply because her work is astounding in its simplicity and depth, even as she seems to use too many surface elements, as she seems to in The Voyage Out, which I am currently reading. My deep attraction to her work must come from something in there that touches my heart - I will write about it when it becomes apparent to me. These things cannot be rushed. [EDIT: I realised as I went to bed last night, that 'surface elements' was not what I meant to say, because it seems like 'superficial'; please think of 'signifiers' instead, of leitmotifs and cleverly wrapped truths.]
Her Blue Body Everything We Know, a collection of all of Alice Walker's published poetry from 1965-1990. I think I can only hope to be half as phenomenal as Walker, no matter how long I may live or what I may do. There is such strength and tenacity, and lashings of conviction, in the writing of black woman activists, it is in the work of Maya Angelou as well, a decisive step in the direction of true understanding between all peoples, and none of this imperialistic, patriarchal rubbish, of which the world has had too much, and stifles too many of those it purports to uplift.

Lastly, despite what some say about Labor's policies, and let us remember the Liberals' policies are not any better, and despite what some say that she should have waited until the election to run for PM, I was delighted and proud to see on television yesterday afternoon the swearing-in of Australia's first woman Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, by Australia's first woman Governor-General, Quentin Bryce.

This was an important and historical moment for our country. Tony Abbott really should have credited this at the start of his speech instead of immediately leaping into an attack on Labor's policies - we all know his opinion about those already - and now it seems he does not care about the need for our country to move towards equality of the sexes (one of my colleagues at work described him as misogynistic). I now look forward to the election more than I did a week ago, and I hope to see more equality between the sexes in this country, because it is still an issue, and still a struggle. Indeed, let us also not forget the need to work towards equality for Indigenous Australians and any and all immigrants and people of various religions, and sexual persuasions. Real acceptance and open mindedness seem to be missing in this country.