honeymonster's review
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.0
As with most anthologies, some of these poems were great and some I couldn't get into. Which are which will, of course, vary from reader to reader. I'm still glad I picked this book up. Just reading the introduction gave me a lot of information I didn't have before.
melissafirman's review
3.0
“What would happen if one woman told the truth about her life? / The world would split open.” ~ Muriel Rukeyser
In this collection of poetry, one woman doesn’t tell the truth about her life. Many women do.
And if the poets represented in this collection aren’t speaking about personal experience, they’re writing about the collective experience of so many women throughout the generations.
These poems are raw but truthful. Uncomfortable but honest. They take no prisoners and have a no-holds-barred mentality. They deal with subjects that today are still, in some circles, taboo to discuss.
This is not an easy collection of poems to read, but for those interested in women’s history and women writers, it’s a worthy one.
In this collection of poetry, one woman doesn’t tell the truth about her life. Many women do.
And if the poets represented in this collection aren’t speaking about personal experience, they’re writing about the collective experience of so many women throughout the generations.
These poems are raw but truthful. Uncomfortable but honest. They take no prisoners and have a no-holds-barred mentality. They deal with subjects that today are still, in some circles, taboo to discuss.
This is not an easy collection of poems to read, but for those interested in women’s history and women writers, it’s a worthy one.
pturnbull's review
4.0
Reading these poems is like taking a walk through history. How it once seemed so revolutionary to read a poem about a woman's body or from a woman's point of view. It was exhilarating to realize that there was an ocean of shared experiences among us and that we could define ourselves rather than be defined by others. An excellent selection of poetry that still shimmers with the energy of that time, when poetry announced the vanguard, the next stage of women, who would smash stereotypes and expect everything from life. The poems don't speak to me with quite the same urgency that they did when I discovered some of them in college, but then, what does? I borrowed this via inter-library loan from another library, but I want to buy it and pull it out and remember anger and power and what it was like to be young and hopeful.
---
After rereading this in August 2016, I'm more impressed by the selections made by editor Moore. She identified important poets in the broader sense as well as those who helped define the women's movement.
---
After rereading this in August 2016, I'm more impressed by the selections made by editor Moore. She identified important poets in the broader sense as well as those who helped define the women's movement.
robinlm's review
4.0
Thankfully, this anthology was full of gems, rather than being full of filler poems with a few gems thrown in. I mostly read women's poetry, because it resonates so strongly with me. Some lines just jump off the page and grip you, like this passage from one of Alta's poems:
write your own commandments. i am only
a person like you. “burn this
& memorize yourself.”
Boom! Memorize yourself indeed, Alta. Love it!
Now I need to go read some other works by all the poets featured in this collection. One of these days I'll get around to reading men's poetry, too.
write your own commandments. i am only
a person like you. “burn this
& memorize yourself.”
Boom! Memorize yourself indeed, Alta. Love it!
Now I need to go read some other works by all the poets featured in this collection. One of these days I'll get around to reading men's poetry, too.
More...