A long while ago I mentioned on this forum that the Transcendentalists were among my favorite writers. Their principle editor was Margaret Fuller:
Other great female writers in this group included Louisa May Alcott, Lydia Maria Child, Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, and they greatly influenced the writing of Emily Dickinson (most popular American poet of my generation). I think it would surprise some folks to learn just how popular certain female writers are among men, especially the likes of Joyce Carol Oates, Joan Didion, Willa Cather, and Alice Munro. I won't touch romance novels but certainly will read the writings of these remarkable ladies.