Women have been writing in the Catholic tradition since early medieval times, yet no single volume has brought together critical evaluations of their works until now. The first reference of its kind, "Catholic Women Writers" provides entries on 64 Catholic women writers from around the world and across the centuries. Each of the entries is written by an expert contributor and includes a biography of the author; a critical discussion of her works, especially her Catholic and women's themes; an overview of her critical reception; and a bibliography of primary and secondary sources.

Authors writing in all genres, including fiction, autobiography, poetry, children's literature, and essays, are represented. The entries give special attention to the authors' use of Catholic themes, structures, traditions, culture, and spirituality. The writers surveyed range from Doctors of the Church to mystics and visionaries, to those who employ Catholic themes primarily in historical and cultural contexts, to those who critique the tradition. An introductory essay places the writers within the historical and literary contexts of women's writing in the Catholic tradition, and the volume closes with a selected, general bibliography.

Mary Wilkins Freeman (1852-1930), born in Randolph, Massachusetts, began to publish stories about New England in the early 1880s. In the following decades, Freeman drew widespread praise for her intimate portraits of women and her realistic depictions of rural New England life. She published short stories, essays, novels, plays, and children's books. Her stories, written in a clear and direct prose, are remarkable for their unpretentious, sympathetic portrayals of the lives of ordinary New Englanders of Freeman's era. Many of the stories depict rebellion against oppressive social and private conditions. Others describe conflicting desires for independence and lasting relationships. This volume of twenty-eight stories is the first to provide a representative sample of Freeman's finest work, from all phases of her career. It makes plain why Freeman (in the words of editor Mary R. Reichardt) is widely recognized as an important figure "in the history of American women's fiction . . . and the development of the American short story."