Had she lived, Sylvia Plath would have been 83 years old today. If you're in the mood, maybe stop by this Brainpickings post and listen to Plath share her thoughts on poetry. As for me, it's a sad occasion; I tend to spend the day thinking about all the work that never made it to the page.

If Plath's birthday reminds you of all the great writing by women that the world never got to read, I'd encourage you to pick up Kate Zambreno's excellent book Heroines, which serves as a celebration of (and lament for) all the women of literature who have been forgotten, or undervalued, or unrecognized. Maybe we should think about making Plath's birthday an official holiday, to remember and to celebrate those voices.