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Tillie Olsen Memorial

January 14, 1912 - January 1, 2007

Tillie's Hands, August 2006, Photo by Jesse Olsen

Tillie Lerner Olsen, internationally honored writer, human rights and anti-war activist, a formative voice of the women's movement, and a cherished friend, deeply loved Mother, Grandmother and Great-Grandmother, died January 1, 2007, two weeks shy of her ninety-fifth birthday. 

Those who wish to make contributions in Tillie's name may do so to the:

Tillie Olsen Memorial Fund for Human Rights, Public Libraries and Working Class Literature 
c/o the San Francisco Foundation
225 Bush Street #500
San Francisco California 94104

Tillie in the 1940's 
Photographer unknown

Tillie in the 1970's
Photo by Rob Edwards

Tillie, August 2006
Photo by Jesse Olsen

Tillie Olsen is internationally known and honored for her powerful, brilliantly crafted, poetic writing depicting the lives of working-class people, women and people of color with respect, profound understanding and deep love. Her books, Tell Me a Riddle, Yonnondio from the Thirties, Silences and her essays and lectures have been translated into twelve languages. Her works are considered by many to be central to working class literature, women’s studies, and the understanding of creative processes and the conditions, which permit imagination to flourish.