Recently Published: The Essential Ellen Willis

A new anthology of Ellen Willis's writing is out now: The Essential Ellen Willis , and it looks to be a nice companion/continuation to 2011's Out of the Vinyl Deeps, a collection of her music writing. Her daughter Nona, who edited the collection, recently talked to The Hairpin about her mother's work and legacy:

“Up from Radicalism” [one of the pieces included] is still really relevant for anyone who comes from a conservative background and suddenly discovers leftist ideas. This narrative is still so applicable. On one hand, it’s depressing we’re dealing with the same issues, on the other hand, they’re still relevant because she talks in such general terms, she gets to the root of these issues. I think if more people had done that maybe we wouldn’t keep spinning on the hamster wheel; maybe we’d be talking about these deep-seated issues with regard to patriarchy, fear, and misogyny, not just skimming the surface with a woman’s right to choose. There are very few people who go that far. It still feels new and it might push the conversation forward. And we’re still talking about motherhood, having it all… she never uses that phrase, but it’s in “The Family: Love It or Leave It,” and “Is Motherhood Moonlighting?” She actually proposes solutions. She said women should be compensated for being stay-at-home moms, part-time workers should be paid as full-time worker because of what women are contributing to society. She’s not just saying what people have said.