The Equivalents

In the early 1960s, five innovative women—poets Anne Sexton and Maxine Kumin, painter Barbara Swan, sculptor Mariana Pineda, and writer Tillie Olsen—came together at Harvard's newly established Radcliffe Institute for Independent Study, forming a collaborative bond that would influence the feminist movement. Known as "the Equivalents," their friendship fueled their artistic pursuits and activism during a transformative era for women's education and rights. Through a rich tapestry of personal documents and creative works, author Maggie Doherty recounts their journey of ambition, love, and heartbreak, highlighting the profound impact they had on women's liberation.