Women Who Fight Back with Poetry

"I write my rage into paper and into bits and bytes. I write anger out of my head and my body and put it out in the world where, frankly, it belongs." –Soraya Chemaly, Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger

Writer and activist Soraya Chemaly argues that girls are socialized to silence their anger in ways that hinder creativity, contribute to poor health, and prevent them from speaking about the injustices they face. Poetry is one arena in which women are challenging these silences, giving voice to women past and present.

The following is a list of recently published poetry books written by women who fight back by telling their stories:

Women Who Fight Back with Poetry

If They Come For Us by Fatimah Asghar

A stunning collection of poems about the genocides in South Asia during the India/Pakistan Partition, and Asghar's experiences as a young Muslim Pakistani woman in America.
These poems pack a punch because of their intense vulnerability and occasional moments of palpable rage. Tender, thoughtful, and innovative, Asghar weaves together history and memoir in powerful ways.

A Place Called No Homeland by Kai Cheng Thom

In A Place Called No Homeland, Thom writes about violence experienced by trans women of color, and it comes from many places: colonialism, jocks, the police, and others within the queer community.
Thom’s poetry does not give easy answers, but the questions she raises will stay with you long after you finish reading.

A Bound Woman is A Dangerous Thing by DaMaris B. Hill

Hill tells the stories of incarcerated black women, from Harriet Tubman to Sandra Bland.
Using poetry to bring historical figures to life, her book links women throughout history in the continued fight against racism, sexism, and incarceration.

Magical Negro by Morgan Parker

In Magical Negro, Parker creates space for the messiness of survival. Drawing on history, pop culture, and personal experience, Parker’s poems give a complex picture of Black American womanhood.
Parker’s commitment to unflinchingly telling her truth is making her a powerful voice in contemporary poetry.

Tsunami vs. the Fukushima 50 by Lee Ann Roripaugh

Roripaugh explicitly draws upon campy horror movies and the X-Men to create a monstrous depiction of women’s rage.
Tsunami, a violent, femme fatale force of nature, is almost heroic in the total chaos she inflicts. Yet at the center of Roripaugh’s witty poems are the very real tragedies of rape and the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami that led to the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Oculus by Sally Wen Mao

Oculus is an innovative and futuristic collection of poems that blur real historical events with imagined futures. Many of Mao’s poems focus on the stories of Asian-American women and their experiences of discrimination.
Using time travel to rewrite history, Mao pushes back against racist and misogynistic narratives, and imagines new realities.

Readers who enjoyed this list may also be interested in the following nonfiction titles: Rage Becomes Her, Eloquent Rage, and Good and Mad.
Find out about the 2019 New York Public Library Best Poetry Books Committee.