Sallie Bingham, the author and newspaper scion whose works of fiction explored the lives of women, died last week at 88 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the New York Times reports.

Bingham was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and educated at Radcliffe College. She was the oldest daughter of Barry Bingham Sr., who owned the Courier Journal and Louisville Times newspapers, known for their liberal editorial positions, a rarity in conservative Kentucky. Sallie Bingham was the book page editor for the Courier Journal and a member of the board of directors of the National Book Critics Circle.

She was involved in a dispute with her brother Barry Bingham Jr., who expelled her from the company’s board of directors after she questioned the corporation’s treatment of women and people of color; in response, she put her shares in the business up for sale to the public, leading to the family’s decision to sell the company to Gannett.

Bingham made her literary debut in 1960 with the novel After Such Knowledge, and followed that up seven years later with the short story collection The Touching Hand. She would go on to publish novels including Small Victories, Upstate, Matron of Honor, and Straight Man; short story collections such as The Way It Is Now and Transgressions; and the memoirs Passion and Prejudice, The Blue Box, and Little Brother.

Her most recent book, Taken by the Shawnee, was published last year. Her short story collection How Daddy Lost His Ear is slated for publication by Turtle Point Press in September.

On the social platform X, U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján paid tribute to Bingham, writing, “Sallie Bingham was a giant. Her work changed lives, and I know her legacy will endure. Praying for her loved ones.”

Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.