A Rebecca Swift Foundation Anthology edited by Jennifer Wong
Reviewed by AJ Arca (@ajsgardenofoubaitori on Instagram)
Woman, Mapped, an anthology featuring nine poets and three essayists, opens with an introduction by Isabelle Kenyon, Degna Stone and the book’s editor, Jennifer Wong, who together explain how the book writes back against stereotypes with passion. These comments speak to the broader theme of togetherness within the community of being a woman. The anthology itself is a collaboration between Fly on the Wall Press and the Rebecca Swift Foundation, a UK-based charity that supports craft, creativity, and wellbeing amongst women poets. Kenyon, Stone, and Wong explore how women can remap and reclaim themselves against stereotypes and leave a better legacy for women after them by questioning uncomfortable topics and making themselves heard not only through sisterhood but also as individuals. The mention of sisterhood is further explored in the foreword through a story surrounding the connections we build with the women around us as a wider community. This illustrates the collective desire women have for freedom and how they can be empowered through conflict to come together as a village to support and protect each other.
All of the poets in the book took these themes and expanded on them thoughtfully with a range of poems touching on a variety of topics. Five in particular stood out for me as representative of the anthology.
Amy Acre’s ‘Women in Their Forties Can’t Stop Talking About This’ explores how society is ageist towards women as it glorifies youth as the beauty standard and leaves women wishing to disappear so as to be free from these expectations. The poem has a confident tone as the speaker seems self-assured in how she is perceived. This confidence extends to her statements of wants which I found inspiring because it made me think that, when I too am in my forties, I will be confident and still have things to want in my life, as opposed to the stereotype that women tend to slow down in life as their ‘looks fade’. The wants of the speaker emphasise her individuality as she remaps her life despite stereotypes.
Jade Mutyora’s ‘Multigravida Prudens’ describes a woman’s pregnancy, a common experience for many women who may connect over it, and all of her feelings, needs and worries that are involved. The poem is a message from the speaker to her partner about everything she needs from them during pregnancy, instructions to her loved one on how to love her the way she needs. The ways to be loved outlined in the poem may act as a legacy for the child later in life when searching for their own loved one with whom to create a family – they would know to look for someone who loves them the way they need, instead of settling. This idea echoes the saying that you need a village to raise a child: the support for that is needed before the birth and it speaks to how to listen to women to best support them.
Ilse Pedler’s ‘It takes a lifetime to seal a heart’ illustrates the vulnerability of a woman’s heart. The poem describes hiding it away after hurt but being able to uncover it in the presence of community; other women with shared experiences who support one another creating a sisterhood. The poem’s tone contributes to the sense of healing, a feeling of being looked after by people who care for you as you all connect with one another as individuals create a community.
Maria Jastrzębska’s ‘10,281’ explores female pleasure by considering a lack of research and education into the area. The poem explores false depictions of sex as glorifying reproduction and misconceptions many have about it, and as a whole questions sex in relation to human connection. Stereotypically, women are not supposed to be interested in or enjoy sex (at least not publicly) as opposed to their male counterparts, many of which take pride in their sexuality as a symbol of masculinity and manhood. I found the poem empowering as it breaks stereotypes, questioning every typical statement made on the subject and exploring it thoughtfully. It allows women to be seen as individuals and reclaim a part of themselves otherwise misconstrued which lets them leave a legacy of truth and freedom for the community of women after them.
Janette Ayachi’s ‘A Poem in Which Female Writers Who Committed Suicide Visit Me’ is written with understanding of the poets, the women before us and feeling seen and connected within a community throughout time. Womanhood is an experience that transcends time and the poem suggests a feeling of community through this experience that women of the past, the present and most likely the future will be able to understand. The poem creates a sense of legacy from poets of the past as they have given something for current and future generations of women to relate to and in turn be able to connect to each other with a sense of sisterhood.
The accompanying stories and essays both address the overall theme of confronting stereotypes. Teddy Webb’s ‘Wrong-Walking Women: “Women’s Spaces” and the Dyke Writer’ considers community and the feeling of isolation from it by tying the interconnectedness of feminism to sexuality. Webb discusses how society teaches women how to act even in women’s spaces and shows how important it is to learn how to be comfortable with yourself regardless of expectations and to reach out to those who understand you.
Claire Harnett-Mann’s ‘Woman Poet Demolition Land’ describes the transition of girlhood to womanhood and the expectations that come with it, including motherhood. Harnett-Mann argues that society teaches women how to act, with different rules for different women according to aspects of their intersectionality. Like Webb, she emphasises how important it is to find and hone your own voice.
All of the poems and essays in this powerful and carefully edited anthology are written with dedication and the writings offer diverse ways of thinking about women’s experiences today. Through its inspiring collaborative ethos, Woman, Mapped demonstrates the core theme of its collection, exemplifying unity and community among women.
Oxford Brookes Weekly Poems 