Witches, Warriors, Workers
Witches, Warriors, Workers: An anthology of contemporary working women’s poetry, 192pps., £9 plus £3 p. and p.
ISBN: 978-1-912710-19-5
This new anthology focuses on themes which reflect the texture and preoccupations of working women in contemporary Britain. There are 65 contributors of all ages, working across a variety of poetic and artistic traditions. The anthology contains poems, lyric essays and artwork which explore women’s complex relationship to work, to the environment, to our families, to our bodies, and to each other.
Living as a woman is a struggle under the multiple oppressions of late-stage capitalism. We face an uncertain future in which our rights and freedoms are increasingly under threat, our work is undervalued, and our bodies have become political battlegrounds. This anthology addresses such anxieties through poetry and art, while striving to uncover the hidden affinities that exist across our different lives. It is an inclusive expression of sisterhood, offering an inspiring, intersectional vision of feminism that is porous, egalitarian, and mutually responsible.
The anthology is our and your opportunity to retune attention, to listen, and to celebrate our diversity, energy, and creativity. It is above all a chance to expand our networks of solidarity, to include all of us in our work, our striving, and our celebrations. We all have struggles in common. We all face at some point in our lives precarity, exclusion, or simply the fight to define our lives on our own terms. In our variety and difference we have great strength, and much to teach each other.
This anthology is a chance to hear from a broad range of voices, and to share some powerful and inspiring poetry from contemporary working women.
Fran Lock and Jane Burn
Fran Lock and Jane Burn are poets and Associate Editors of Culture Matters.