When I look at my bookshelves, I see wonderful books by diverse authors, but they’re mostly from the US plus a few Canadians and Brits. So, I’ve been inspired by the #readaroundtheworld challenge to expand those shelves by reading a book from every country in the world, but with a twist: I want to focus on women writers. It’s more difficult for women writers to get published and reviewed everywhere, but in some countries, women’s voices are actively–even dangerously–suppressed. And I see this as an opportunity not only to read, but to learn more about the challenges women face, and their cultural contributions in each country so that I have context for their literary work before I start reading. I plan to proceed alphabetically, from Afghanistan to Zanzibar and to share what I learn and the authors’ work here and on social media platforms, and I’m really excited about the conversations we can have!