Frances Marjorie Slonim Curtis Barnhart of Roanoke, Va., and Solon, Me., died peacefully in her home on Dec. 20. She was 83.

She was the beloved sister of Nancy Slonim Aronie of Chilmark and a frequent visitor to the Vineyard where she occasionally co-facilitated Writing from the Heart workshops with her sister.

She was a painter, a poet and the author of two books: The New Woman Warriors Handbook (not for women only) and The Beauty of Impermanence. She attended Boston University and in 1970 was ordained as an interfaith minister.

She was a social justice activist. In the early 1960s, Frances was among a small group of women artists in New York city’s lower East Side where she painted, created happenings and collaborated with artists she met at the iconic Cedar Tavern. In Maine she opened a free store and was an advocate for women’s healthcare.

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