We are delighted at the response to our call out to women poets to reflect on Gloria Steinem’s Women’s March Speech (Washington, DC, 21 January 2017). We received 206 poems from every continent except Antarctica and South America. It is exciting that Not Very Quiet can facilitate connections and juxtapositions between women poets from all over the world.

Poets featured in this issue moved out from Steinem’s words to a wide variety of topics and ideas. Some of the poems explore the people and places of the everyday worlds of the poet. Others reflected on issues such as war, sexual identity, politics in the era of Trump, and other contemporary concerns.

We want to thank sincerely every poet who submitted to Not Very Quiet. And a special thank you to local Canberra and ACT Region poets and those from the wider Australian community for their generous contributions.

Update: we had a lovely launch of Issue 1 at Smith’s Alternative in Canberra on 25 September.

Moya Pacey and Sandra Renew (eds)

Contents

Tedium Devon Balwit
The camel and the straw J V Birch
on not asking daddy Nicola Bowery
Solid Lisa Brockwell
Luckily Lisa Brockwell
The pretend life Michelle Brooks
What’s Left of Us Samantha-Jayne Burns
Reader, I buried him PS Cottier
How to make depression worse … PS Cottier
Stepping over, stepping around PS Cottier
Ode Star Coulbrooke
through all Anne Curran
Fish and Fowl Jan Dean
Perimenopause as sweat lodge Tricia Dearborn
Myth Making Moyra Donaldson
My Mother’s Coat Moyra Donaldson
Bulbs Never Disappoint Moyra Donaldson
The Other Side of the River Susan Fealy
at least I still remember Amelia Fielden
Stand Tall Maryanne Frederick
All the Willing Hours Kathryn Fry
Proverb Pia Goddard
in the change room Hazel Hall
Anthem Patricia Hamilton
Wanted – Princess Michelle Hartman
wagon-bound pioneers Elizabeth Howard
Curb Stomping Gabriela Jimenez-Carrillo
Oh! So Deliciously Kathy Kituai
Easy to see Kathy Kituai
X300* Robyn Lance
Playing dead Rosanna Licari
Some men I have known Anicca Maleedy-Main
War cry Jacqui Malins
Lament of Sister Julianna, a 15th Century English Nun Cassandra McGovern
No More Asking Daddy Victoria McGrath
Bartending Rosalind Moran
Trapped K A Nelson
Orienteering K A Nelson
Hot Pink Janice Northerns
Speed Trap Janice Northerns
Freshman Composition Janice Northerns
Traffic Lights on Flinders Rosa O’Kane
Heera Devi Sue Peachey
The way to Grahan Sue Peachey
Trump and the Billionaires Play Dirty Pool in the Oval Office Donna Pucciani
A micro-pang on a dark weeknight Claudia Shepard
Circa 1885 Ali Jane Smith
Big arms Ali Jane Smith
Concavities Carol Lynn Stevenson Grellas
Speed dating Carmel Summers
The walk to school Carmel Summers
Central Station – Friday afternoon Dorothy Swoope
Lot’s wife in a parallel dimension Helen Thurloe
sanctuary at pine island Mira Walker
At the Clockmakers Museum Jen Webb
War zone Jen Webb
Hey Mister, you have devoured nearly all of it Irene Wilkie
Sunday in the Walled Garden Jena Woodhouse

View all poems in Issue 1 on one long scrolling page.

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Quote as provocation for Issue 1

‘ … we will not be quiet, we will not be controlled, we will work for a world in which all countries are connected. God may be in the details, but the goddess is in connections. We are at one with each other, we are looking at each other, not up. No more asking daddy.’

Gloria Steinem, Women’s March Speech, Washington, DC, 21 January 2017.