Dorothy Allison Quotes

United States, Writer
April 11, 1949

Dorothy Allison (born April 11, 1949) is an American writer from South Carolina whose writing focuses on class struggle, sexual abuse, child abuse, feminism and lesbianism. She is a self-identified lesbian femme. Allison has won a number of awards for her writing, including several Lambda Literary Awards. In 2014, Allison was elected to membership in the Fellowship of Southern Writers.

Also known as Feminist

Gravy is the simplest, tastiest, most memory-laden dish I know how to make: a little flour, salt and pepper, crispy bits of whatever meat anchored the meal, a couple of cups of water or milk and slow stirring to break up lumps.

Dorothy Allison
- Up
- Water
- Couple
The bottom line is I'm writing to save the dead. I'm writing to save the people I have lost, some of whose bodies are still walking around.

Dorothy Allison
- People
- Writing
- Lost

Two or three things I know for sure, and one is that I'd rather go naked than wear the coat the world has made for me.

Dorothy Allison
- World
Watch out, or I'm liable to put you in a story.

Dorothy Allison
I'll tell you the secret. When you begin with a character, you want to begin by creating a villain.

Dorothy Allison
- Character
Class, race, sexuality, gender and all other categories by which we categorize and dismiss each other need to be excavated from the inside.

Dorothy Allison
When I was growing up, I always read horror books, while my sister read romance novels.

Dorothy Allison
- Up
- Growing
- Sister
I tell my students you have an absolute right to write about people you know and love. You do. But the kicker is you have a responsibility to make the characters large enough that you will not have sinned against them.

Dorothy Allison
- People
- Responsibility

When I was growing up, I always read horror books, while my sister read romance novels. My sister became unmarried and pregnant during high school, and she kept saying, 'This wasn't supposed to happen! Why is this happening to me?' Someone should have given her another book to read.

Dorothy Allison
- Up
- School
- Why
Writing is the only way I know to demand justice from an uncaring universe.

Dorothy Allison
- Writing
- Universe
- Justice