bell hooks, or Gloria Jean Watkins as her real name, debuted in 1978 with the book of poems "And There We Wept".
Bell Hooks was actually the name of her great-grandmother, a name she took over when she started writing in earnest.
However, she chose to write both the first and last name in lower case to differentiate herself from her great-grandmother and to mark against a kind of individual-centered attitude that she thought characterized the academic world.
During his career, Hooks was awarded several awards, including the Writer's Award from Lila-Wallace — Reader's Digest Fund, and was named one of America's leading public intellectuals by The Atlantic Monthly.
She was also inducted into the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame.
Hook's involvement in issues of race and feminism was reflected in both her writing and her role as a professor at Berea College in Kentucky.
In 2017, she dedicated her essays to the higher education institution to ensure that future generations can take part in her essays on subjects such as race, gender and class.
On Wednesday, Berea College announced that hooks had passed away in the suites of an unknown illness.
bell hooks turned 69 years old.