by Lisa Rodgers
Poems on the maverick women of history including Dido Bell, Aphra Behn, Mary Wollestonecraft, Mary Shelley, Anne Bonny and Mary Robinson. Contains portraits and biographies of the women with full page illustrations of all the women.
The poems are inspired by the courageous, unconventional, pioneering and indomitable spirits of some remarkable Restoration and 18th century women. Their histories and accomplishments are mostly absent in the modern consciousness and were invariably ignored or belittled in their own time. The women are disparate with regard to class and personal circumstance, however they are united by their audacity in being unconventional, or even simply notable, at a time when this was the prerogative of men.
These poems are not works of historical fiction. Just as observations and reflections on contemporary life and experiences are harnessed as poetic material, so some impressionistic gleaning of the lives ahead provided the muse for this collection. And while many are necessarily flavoured with historical nuance, there is a universality in what the lives of these extraordinary women present to us: as individuals who know what it is to hope, love, struggle and survive.
This is the first full poetry collection by Tyneside poet Lisa Rodgers. An unconventional and inspirational English teacher changed Lisa's life at the age of 14, kindling a love of literature that would influence her primary passions and her future. She moved away from her native Newcastle to study literature at university, subsequently training as an English teacher herself; she has spent the best part of the last 18 years trying to instil an affection for the written word in the next generation. Lisa currently lives a few streets from the sea in Whitley Bay.
For this, her first published collection, Lisa Rodgers has combined her interest in history, biography and the female experience to evoke the voices of some remarkable, yet often marginalised women.
ISBN: 978-0-9931245-1-8
Price £8.00
Published in June 2015
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