Synopses & Reviews
A groundbreaking collection--featuring four new poems by major poetsA Poem of Her Own brings together notable American works that convey the powerful spirit of mothers, sisters, and daughters throughout this nation's history. Among the poets included are luminaries such as Phillis Wheatley, Emily Dickinson, Gertrude Stein, and Sylvia Plath. Also featured are previously unpublished pieces by contemporary poets Julia Alvarez, Nikki Giovanni, Naomi Shihab Nye, and Marge Piercy. Not intended as a survey but as a celebration of uniquely female perspectives, this compilation of 25 poems addresses difficult issues such as oppression and bigotry, and celebrates themes such as the pursuit of freedom, the triumph of democracy, and the splendor of the natural world. But most importantly, all of these selections provide unforgettable insights into the singular experience of being an American woman. An introduction by editor Catherine Clinton and biographies of the poets complete this rich, much-needed collection.
Synopsis
A Poem of Her Own gathers notable American works to convey the powerful spirit of mothers, sisters, and daughters throughout the nation's history. Poems by Phillis Wheatley, Emily Dickinson, Gertrude Stein, and Sylvia Plath, along with previously unpublished pieces by contemporary poets Julia Alvarez, Nikki Giovanni, Naomi Shihab Nye, and Marge Piercy make this compilation an unforgettable look at the experience of being an American woman.
Table of Contents
Author to her book / Anne Bradstreet -- Hymn to the evening / Phillis Wheatley -- Brown thrush / Lucy Larcom -- I dwell in possibility / Emily Dickinson -- Battle-hymn of the republic / Julia Ward Howe -- New-England boy's song about Thanksgiving / Lydia Maria Child -- New Colossus / Emma Lazarus -- I sit and sew / Alice Dunbar-Nelson -- Poetry / Marianne Moore -- I, being born a woman and distressed / Edna St. Vincent Millay -- Women / Louise Bogan -- Stanzas in meditation; part four, #9 / Gertrude Stein -- Jessie Mitchell's mother -- Gwendolyn Brooks -- Bears / Adrienne Rich -- Her kind / Anne Sexton -- Morning song / Sylvia Plath -- Homage to my hips / Lucille Clifton -- In cold storm light / Leslie Marmon Silko -- Lost sister / Cathy Song -- Good hotdogs / Sandra Cisneros -- What do women want? / Mary Jo Salter -- Girls in the circle / Nikki Giovanni -- By accident / Julia Alvarez -- Road through the woods / Marge Piercy -- Women who came before us / Naomi Shihab Nye -- Poet biographies.