IMAGINE A WOMAN: OUT NOW

Stories have the power to free us, or to hold us captive. Imagine a Woman is a book about both, and how the retelling of stories we inherit can open a pathway between fear and survival.

Organized around four feminine archetypes–the Virgin, the Mother, the Prophet, and the Whore–these poems offer a multi-storied perspective on the many ways a woman is defined, and how femininity is shaped by histories ancient and new. Offering new ways to devote ourselves to the myths, nursery rhymes, fairy tales, and playground songs that captivate our memories and inspire our futures, the collection ignites a sharp and stirring transformation from being silenced to learning how to speak.

“In its pursuit of truth combined with an odd and wild lyric sway, in its invoking of the oldest myths and tales, and in its trust in personal dreams and prophecies, Dorothy Neagle’s transformative book lives up to its title. These poems burn with imagination and feel as revelatory to the reader as they feel necessary to the poet. Drawing on poetic strategies from incantation to confessionalism, this book proves that “like every great / and terrible thing, the silence also has / a voice.” In Imagine a Woman we witness that voice emerge and catch fire.” - Jeanne Marie Beaumont, author of Lessons with Scissors

“This is a collection born of woman; of mother; of daughter; of darkness and of light. It takes us by the hand and leads us to ancient, unseen places. We are shown what if means to long and belong; to lose and love; to let go and to hold on, as if our life depended on our grasp. The ancient, folkloric nature of these poems allows us to contemplate death, life, familial grief and inter generational trauma as though they were small, easy things. I am richer for having spent time with its pages.” - Kerri ní Dochartaigh, author of Cacophony of Bone