Adrienne Rich (1929–2012)

A must-read for feminists interested in the institution of motherhood (and really, as Rich argues, why wouldn't you be, whether or not you intend to parent?) and for parents, birthworkers, and other healthcare providers interested in feminism and/or in mothers' experiences. I went into this book braced to find it painfully dated but (although of course it's of its own time) was pleasantly surprised throughout: it's not just an influential classic of historical interest but a book that continues to be thought-provoking and relevant today.

Rich writes engagingly and is honest and thoughtful in her arguments here.… (more)

Rich is one of my favorite poets, and there are few words to describe how beautiful and thoughtful these poems are. This slim volume is divided into three sections, "Power," "Twenty-One Love Poems," and "Not Somewhere Else, But Here." This is one of her later collections, written after receiving the National Book Award, and is remarkable for it's openness in writing about sexuality, power and violence against women.

"Twenty-One Love Poems" is perfection, a distilled experience of a relationship arc, and XVII is permanently etched on my consciousness. It begins:

"No one's fated or doomed to love anyone.
The accidents happen, we're not heroines,
they happen in our lives like car crashes,
books that change us, neighborhoods
we move into and come to love."

I've read it almost as many times as "Origins and History of Consciousness," in the "Power" group, and find it is sheer excellence of how a writer strives to interpret self and other:

"No one lives in this room
without confronting the whiteness of the wall
behind the poems, planks of books,
photographs of dead heroines.
Without contemplating last and late
the true nature of poetry. The drive
to connect. The dream of a common language.

Thinking of lovers, their blind faith, their
experienced crucifixions,
my envy is not simple."

"Cartographies of Silence" also stands out. To me, Rich is at her best writing about language, identity and love, and virtually every line floors me.

"Silence can be a plan
rigorously executed"

The remainder of the poems are somewhat uneven for me, especially the "Not Somewhere Else" section, which seem to be primarily odes and center around specific people. They provide interesting insight into both Rich and the time period she writes in, particularly the poem for Audre Lorde. I could probably leave this in my GR "currently reading" shelves indefinitely, as I periodically revisit it, each time finding more to appreciate. If I'm headed for a writing sabbatical, this is one that always gets stuffed in the backpack.

Adrienne, you will be dearly missed.… (more)

these scars bear witness
but whether to repair
or to destruction
I no longer know

I have a shameful confession to make. This was the first poetry book to have read to completion. I have read some poems, but this was the first time I managed to finish a collection. The reason being that I was afraid of poetry, afraid that I was not smart or capable enough to understand content and meaning. It always felt like there was a layer beneath what I had read and as much as I kept scratching, digging and excavating, I could not get to it.

This being the first poetry book to have read, I have a faint inkling of the wonders, power, beauty, rawness, understanding I have deprived myself over the years. I did not get everything but what was not understood just as what was, was wondrous. Reading these poems was a wonderful closing to the last year and opening to this new one.… (more)