About

Women writers have been overlooked in the literary canon for centuries

Missing Pages is designed to help change that.

What Is Missing Pages?

Missing Pages is a website documenting under-researched American women writers from the 17th-20th Centuries.

Countless women writers throughout history have disappeared into relative obscurity thanks to lingering sexism in the canon, and bringing them back into educational spaces is essential to creating rich, diverse curricula for students. Missing Pages is dedicated to the preservation of these women's voices and their further integration into the American literary canon & curricula nationwide.

Welcome to the missing pages of American literary history.

How Do I Use It?

Each writer’s profile can be found under ‘Writers by Time Period’ in their respective eras. Each profile includes:

  • The writer’s name

  • A picture or portrait of them

  • A brief biography

  • Links to where you can find or purchase their work

  • Other sections of the site where they can be found (genres, historically marginalized groups)

Genevieve Pfister (she/her)

Researcher & Creator

Genevieve, who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and a Master of Science Degree in Library & Information Science, created Missing Pages in 2o21 as a summer research project sponsored by Denison University’s Lisska Center for Scholarly Engagement. She continued to develop the site and, in 2024, delivered a TEDx Talk on the issue of sexism in the American literary canon & the Missing Pages website. You can watch the talk below.

When she’s not building websites, you can find her working at the library, reading, writing, attending local theatre shows, or enjoying a nice cup of tea (London Fogs are her favorite!).

Professor Kelly Jo Fulkerson-Dikuua (she/her) - Project Advisor & Mentor

Dr. Fulkerson-Dikuua was Genevieve’s project advisor & mentor for this project. Genevieve’s idea for the project began in her Writing 101: Intersectionality class at Denison.

Dr. Fulkerson-Dikuua is an Associate Professor and the Assistant Director of the Institute for Health Equity and Community Justice at Rhodes College. She has also worked as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Denison University and an Instructional Consultant & Assistant Professor at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

A smiling young woman with mid-length brown curly hair wearing a rainbow headband, black headphones, purple glasses, a blue & yellow lanyard with pins, & red t-shirt that reads 'Plot: It Builds Character' with a black & white flannel
A smiling woman with short, straight blonde hair with black glasses and blue-green eyes

Meet the People Behind 'Pages

Silenced Voices: The Untold Stories of Women Writers | Genevieve Pfister | TEDxDenisonU

View site creator Genevieve’s TEDx Talk below

AI Statement:

As the creator of a website dedicated to preserving the voices of writers who worked so hard & braved so much to create & share their own original work, I am wholeheartedly against the use of generative AI in art & literature. Generative AI steals the work of real, human, hard-working creatives & is an insult to our crafts.

Therefore, no generative AI was used at any point in the research or website creation process. All profiles were written by me, based off research & biographies of these writers that, to the best of my knowledge, were written by other humans. Please see the ‘Sources’ page for references & credits.

Disclaimers & Content Warnings

These writings are historical in nature, & some contain instances of racism, homophobia, antisemitism, & other types of prejudice. The creators wholeheartedly denounce such prejudice, & the views & opinions of these writers do not represent those of this site’s creators.

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Please also note that some of these writers’ works discuss sensitive & serious topics, including but not limited to:

  • Racism & racial violence

  • Homophobia

  • Sexism

  • Sexual harassment & assault

  • Abuse

  • Mental illness & suicide

  • Negative and/or complicated familial relationships

Please take care of yourself while exploring this site, & feel free to skip over any content you do not feel safe engaging with.

Under each writer’s profile, you will find links to where you can find their work, both through free resources (when available) and through stores. Some of the links to stores are affiliate links, and I, at no additional cost to you, may receive a small percentage of profits from any purchases made through them.