International Women's Day: 10 Women Who Inspire Me

Let me start by saying this will be a sampler, a taste, an inkling. Definitely not a comprehensive list of women who inspire me. Plus, my mom already got her own post, so I'm skipping her. Also, I'm only writing about living women.

Image credit: Dylan Siebel on Unsplash.
This would be my SO if someone tried to get her to marry.

My SO

The SO, as I usually refer to her on social media, has been my significant other, primary partner, girlfriend, and so on, for over 18 years now. She's a dedicated teacher, a brilliant developer and writer of test prep materials, and an overall terrific person. We recently moved house, and the experience was such a strong demonstration of why we work as a couple. We are true partners, who know what to do together and what to allocate according to each others' strengths. We're what people call "child free," but we don't like the term so much, as we both feel it's derogatory to parents and kids. We've opted not to have kids. We sleep in separate bedrooms, due to having incompatible sleep disorders. We basically have no romantic gestures, as the SO is allergic to them. And yet, we work, because we have love, trust, companionship.

My Best Friend: Yael Achmon

She also translated a little book called The Hobbit

Yael has been my best friend since around 1992 or so. Maybe earlier. As a translator and translation editor I can comfortably say she is the single best translator in Israel, and has translated everything from Rick Riordan to Margaret Atwood. Yael is one the kindest, sweetest person on the planet, but she's not afraid to talk to her friends when she feels they need to shape up in some aspect. She volunteers at an animal clinic once a week, and is a vegan and a culinary genius.

My Other Best Friend: @techslut

Ilana brought me here. This is all her fault. If you're on Steemit, you probably know her. If you're on Steemit and you're an Israeli, you definitely know her as the co-lead of the Israeli Steemit community on Facebook. Ilana is a terrific writer, a generous soul, a kind friend. She's also been a partner to me in multiple ways, and will soon be again in a new way.

Amal El-Mohtar

Amal is one of the finest writers working today. A brilliant poet, a fantastic short fiction writer, and an amazing critic. We've only met in person a handful of times, but have been friends online for quite some time. Amal has a beautiful soul, a beautiful cat, and a beautiful husband. You should read her prose (My favorite is multiple award winner "Seasons of Glass and Iron", and you should read her reviews, which can now be found in a little newspaper called The New York Times. She's a pretty big deal.

Doctor Keren Landsman

Keren is an author and an epidemiologist, and her first novel just came out, following a short story collection. She's a terrific writer, but that's not the inspiring part. During the last Ebola outbreak, Keren signed up to go help. When her team's mission was cancelled, she just shifted focus and went instead to war torn South Sudan, to help build up their public health system. She also volunteers at a mobile health unit that goes to the places where prostitutes work and gives them checkups. She is a goddamn hero. She's also one of the peppiest people you'll ever meet.

Annalee Flower Horne

Annalee wrote the Sample Slack Code of Conduct on which I based my Sample Discord Code of Conduct. She's a wonderful community builder, fierce fighter for equality, and a total nerd. I've learned so much from on how to help a community grow in healthy ways. She's also co-editor at The Bias, which is a terrific website.

Leigh Lahav

Leigh is the animator behind such brilliant work as A Stranger Things Christmas, Frozen Is The New Black, the Five Stages of Watching series and the Fangirls series. I was a fan before I was a friend, but I'm very glad to be a friend. Keep watching what she does.

Anita Sarkeesian

Okay, we've now left the part of this where I know the people personally. I first became aware of Anita Sarkeesian through her original Tropes vs. Women videos on youtube, where I found her to be smart, informed, balanced, and generally awesome. When she launched the kickstarter for Tropes Against Women in Video Games, I was an early supporter, and then watched in shock and horror as a bunch of manbabies and broflakes decided a youtube show is going to take away their games. You probably know at least some of the rest of the story, as Sarkeesian overcame multiple death and rape threats, as her haters became the hate movement known Gmergate (comments defending gg are an automatic mute). Through it all, she kept working, kept building. I have never been so happy about a decision to support a kickstarter as I have been about hers.

N.K. Jemisin

I'm gonna put Nora Jemisin in the "I don't know them" category, because while we've met, I'm not entirely sure she knows who I am. Jemisin is a staggeringly great writer. She was always capable, but her last trilogy, The Broken Earth, has redefined what fantasy fiction can be in ways that I believe will reverberate for many years to come. She's also a fierce writer of non fiction, and her twitter is actual fire.

Janelle Monáe

An amazing musician whose concept albums are science fiction masterpieces. A terrific actress whose star shines brighter and brighter. An outspoken advocate whose advocacy only rings louder. She is incredible and impeccable.

Bonus: Women on Steemit who inspire me (an incomplete list)

@shawnamawna, @isabellelauren, @lilyraabe, @limabeing, @soyrosa, @ameliabartlett, @steampunk-penny, @tessaragabrielle, @sumayyahsaidso, @katrina-ariel, @natureofbeing, @betterbeing, @meanmommy33, @beautifulbullies, @sapphic, @kathtea

Dang, that's a lot of awesome women on the blockchain, and I'm sure I've forgotten a bunch!