"I don't think that Kristine was a very popular name in the past, Grandma, " Kristine shrugged. Grandma replied, "You enjoy writing and I know of a Christine in the past that enjoyed writing too."

What a dream I had last night. Do you want to hear about it? I was walking in a beautiful city that was built just for women. Everywhere I looked I saw wonderful women who had been brave, caring, clever, and courageous. Joan of Arc was wearing the armor she wore when she led France in battle. Women who had become martyrs, dying for their faith, were smiling angels. I saw countless loving mothers who had unselfishly cared for families. It was a very happy place. I didn't want to wake up.

My name is Christine de Pizan. I was born in France in 1364 during a time in history called the Renaissance. I was a very lucky girl for many reasons. My father was well-educated and had a very important job with the King of France. We lived in the King's castle and had enough money so that I didn't have to work. Most girls my age worked to help feed their families and were not allowed to learn to read. I studied and learned many things from my father. After I got married, I had children, but continued to learn. I was very happy. When I was twenty-five years old life became much harder. Sadly, both Papa and my husband became ill and died. How was I going to feed and take care of my family? I had no choice but to be brave and use my intelligence to solve this problem.

All those years of studying had paid off. I became the first woman in Europe to make a living as a writer. This meant that I made money by selling poems and stories. My most important story was The Book of the City of Ladies. You know the city. . . the one from my dream. During the Renaissance many people claimed women were not as clever, good-hearted or courageous as men. I knew that this wasn't so. I wanted to write a story to explain why it was not true. The City in my dreams was for all the women I knew who had been very clever, courageous and caring. I was given the gift of the love of learning and was lucky enough to be able to. I worked very hard studying and tried to give the people of France important, new ideas about women to think about. What special gift have you been given? What will you do with it?