Lesbian feminist author Adrienne Rich died at her home in California yesterday from complications of rheumatoid arthritis. She was 82.

If you have ever taken a gender studies or women’s studies class, you’ve probably read something by Adrienne Rich. Here’s a little more background from The Advocate in case you’re unsure:

Her poetry and prose showed feminist sympathies from the 1950s onward, and her 1980 essay “Compulsory Heterosexuality and the Lesbian Continuum” challenged the idea that heterosexuality was the only normal orientation and formed the heart of theories of lesbian feminism. Her work features prominently in gender studies classes.

She also wrote passionate antiwar poetry and concerned herself with issues of class. In 1997 she turned down the National Medal for the Arts, writing to President Bill Clinton, “The radical disparities of wealth and power in America are widening at a devastating rate. A president cannot meaningfully honor certain token artists while the people at large are so dishonored.”

Rich gave all she had for this field and was truly one of the most prominent voices in shaping it. She will be missed.