Women in Writing

For me, poetry makes room for fluidity. In my poems, I write about the feminine gaze, queerness and pop-culture with a savoire-faire kind of intimacy. Poetry is a unique vessel for assuming character. We see these identity shifts in pop-culture too — with famous women, how they re-make themselves like myths to stay relevant (Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, WILLOW). Eimear McBride wrote a novel about this very idea — ‘A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing’ ; “For you. You’ll soon. You’ll give her name. In the stitches of her skin she’ll wear your say,” where girls grow from fragments and debris. Sierra DeMulder, the founder of Button Poetry, described character as being “like a prism the light reflects off.” I think women in pop culture have become the same; sharp objects turning towards the light. To assume character, before the media has the chance to assume yours for you, has become a form of empowerment. This is how I chose to write poetry.