Author Description

This lively anthology of spirited backtalk introduces the "reply poem" - a form in which the female subject of a male poet tells her side of the story. These poems are addressed to every level of the male-dominated poetry canon - from the Bible to Bukowski - and range in tone from wryly amused to fiercely outraged. Contributions to The Muse Strikes Back include work from Akhmatova, Atwood, Bogan, Bradstreet, Finch, H.D., Hacker, Jong, Kizer, Lowell, Olds, Parker, Sappho, and Sexton. The anthology includes a bibliography, indexes of contributing poets, the male poets addressed, and the titles and first lines. The anthology is designed to be of use to students as well as the general reading public, with footnotes provided for easy reference.