Why is bell hooks' name not capitalized? Explaining the late pioneering feminist author's affinity for lower case

On Wednesday, December 15, renowned Black feminist author bell hooks passed away at the age of 69. As per the press release, hooks died from a prolonged illness. However, some reports claimed that it might be kidney failure.

As per a statement by the late author's family, she passed away while she was surrounded by her family. The statement regarding Gloria Jean Watkins' (aka bell hooks) death, read:

"The family is honored that Gloria received numerous awards, honors, and international fame for her works as a poet, author, feminist, professor, cultural critic, and social activist. We are proud to just call her sister, friend, confidant, and influencer."

bell hooks died at her home in Berea, Kentucky. Along with being an author, hooks was renowned for her work as an academician and activist. She also founded the bell hooks Institute at Berea College in 2014.

The late Gloria Jean Watkins used 'bell hooks' as her pseudonym in almost all her published books. Her name as an author was written in all lower case, which intrigued everyone who came across her works. Gloria had also served as a professor in the college since 2014.

In 2019, a former student of Gloria (aka bell hooks) praised her work in the New York Times. He said:

"Watkins wanted her pen name to be spelled in lowercase to shift the attention from her identity to her ideas."

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Origin of Gloria Watkins' pen name, 'bell hooks'

Berea College's Obituary on Gloria reveals that the Kentucky native was inspired by her great-grandmother's name, Bell Blair Hooks. This insinuates that the idea behind her pen name was inspired by the women in her family and also owed to prioritizing her work over her individual identity.

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bell hooks left behind a legacy through culturally relevant works in the form of books like 1981's Ain't I a Woman?: Black women and feminism, 1995's Killing rage: ending racism, 2000's Feminism is for everybody: passionate politics, amongst several others.

The late author and activist has also won a plethora of recognition and accolades for her work. This includes being inducted into the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame in 2018. She was also named in TIME's 100 Women of the Year two years later.