A book with a very powerful subject matter. Some of the poems were beautiful and heartbreakkngly thought-provoking. Lauren Clark was my favourite to read.
However the formatting was very distracting. Made it difficult to lose yourself in the rhythm and meaning of the words.

This was such a beautiful and powerful read! This is the beauty and empowerment that the world needs right now and there was not one part of this I didn't enjoy!

I LOVED this!
From the introduction I knew I would, I mean, it’s about strong women and feminism and resisting. Basically my bread and butter.
Anyway, I thought this was really thoughtfully put together and I loved how the introduction really emphasized that this was an experience, and could be taken in a lot of different ways. Every persons experience is different and the pieces of the anthology would affect them differently. I thought this was a deeply moving and encouraging piece and I really enjoyed it.

I was really curious to read this poem anthology, but I have to admit that it fell a bit flat for me. Yes, there were some contributions that I really understood and enjoyed, but overall, I found myself pretty confused. Poetry is difficult sometimes; there will always be people who are a bit better at grasping the various meanings. I do love poetry, but unfortunately, I didn’t love most of what was included in this Women of Resistance. I appreciated that the contributors had different styles and focused on different aspects of feminism, but all in all, this wasn’t really for me.

The word resistance lets us know that these will not be passive voices content with the status quo. The poets included in this collection are angry about the way women are treated not just because of our gender, but, for some of us, also because of our race or sexual orientation. Read this collection to have some idea about what we talk when we talk about intersectionality.

Thank you to Danielle Barnhart, Iris Mahan, OR Books, and NetGalley for the advanced reviewer copy of “Women of Resistance: Poems for a New Feminism” in return for an honest review.

I do not even know where to start with my love for this book. All of the poets that you love, that you wait for each new sheaf of poems from, is here in this tome, giving light and fire and every emotion, every type of story, of every woman, every life, that you could dream to want and find to be educated about that you don’t know yet.

Get this book. Get several copies of it. Give it to the women in your lives. Girl friends, and coworkers, and young girls questioning their world. This volume is empowering, freeing, and much needed in these troubling times.

I will be buying several copies of this book this year, to be given as Birthday Gifts and Christmas/Yule presents, and even just ‘You Are An Amazing Woman Never Forget Never Let Anyone Tell You Anything Less’ gifts.

Proud poetry, written from a heartfelt place. Difficult to read at times, but will leave you with a better view of a diversity of experiences and the struggle still faced. Resounding honesty from a wide range of voices. This book is filled with a wide range of important messages--both timely and well worth the time to read. And then read again.

A wonderful collection of poetry for today's women's movement. I would strongly adding this to your feminism bookshelf.

Thank you to Danielle Barnhart and Iris Mahan and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Women of Resistance. What a poignant book for 2018! Awesome! I'll be sending the title along to my friends and followers.

There are some really amazing messages in this that I think should seriously be shouted from the rooftops for all, men and women alike, to hear.

These are the messages that are important. There are no lack of voices here; the pages are filled with poetry and prose from women of different race, sexual orientation, backgrounds, and stories. The mix of those who wrote for this collection was a breath of fresh air.

While the feminism movement continues, more and more collections like these surface, and I always find that even though I may not be completely captured by it, the messages coming from these women speaking out from destruction and oppression always make it worth picking up and checking out.

There have been so many books on feminism this year, presumably to highlight that 2018 marks 100 years since some women in the UK won the vote. While celebrating the suffragette and the success of the suffrage movement founded in 1903 and led by Emmeline Pankhurst, "Women of Resistance" paints a picture of the issues that capture the hearts of women today. Danielle Barnhart and Iris Mahan explore these themes in this wonderfully uplifting book of poetry.

The book comprises the thoughts of 41 contemporary poets and although the influences of each one are different, such as race, gender equality and sexuality, they do overlap to some extent. I only started reading poetry in the past few years and thought I would appreciate "Women of Resistance" as I have loved other feminist poets, such as Rupi Kaur. Representing the complexity and diversity of contemporary womanhood and bolstering the fight to refute and resist racism, sexism, and violence, this collection unites powerful new writers, performers, and activists with established poets.

I found the words extremely powerful and emotionally resonant. A truly beautiful book in which the photographs are an integral part. It is crucial that we continue the amazing work carried out by the suffrage movement and strive for gender equality. There's no doubt we still have a long way to go in this fight!

Just as I was about to stop writing there was some related "news". Coronation Street star Nicola Thorp wants photographers to stop taking revealing pictures of females on the red carpet. I agree that the paparazzi should not be doing this, but isn't it the choice of the women as to what attire they wear. Knowing what photographers are like, if they didn't want revealing pictures either don't go on the red carpet (you know you're going to get your photo taken!) or wear clothing that covers you up. She makes it sound as though the paparazzi are responsible for those women wearing tacky clothing, which they are not. Definitely a case of both sides being in the wrong! I don't really understand the craving to dress yourself in revealing clothing, it is possible to cover up and be attractive, something I don't think a lot of women understand. There's no doubt in my mind that these type of debates will roll on and on.

Many thanks to OR Books for an ARC, I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Women of Resistance is such an empowering, inspiring, and necessary collection of poetry and prose. Through these words I've been liberated, enraged, saddened, and enlightened, feeling so many emotions at the turn of a few pages. I experienced such a strong emotional connection to so many of the writings, all from such a diverse group of women. At times reading was intense, however, I am glad to have read Women of Resistance. Some writings left impressions on me that will last for some time. Others made me consider my own experiences and how they've impacted the decisions I make.

I am recommending this book to other women who I know will appreciate these powerful words. Diverse representation is so necessary and I thank OR Books and Netgalley for allowing me to read this title.

I will admit, I’m not much on poetry. It’s not that I don’t like it, I’ve just never been a slow and patient reader. I like to devour light and fluffy, or dense and decadent prose. Reading a book over the course of a day or two means you miss some things, and with fiction, that’s okay. The overall plot is the same, and if you miss a minor detail here or there, it doesn’t affect your overall impression or enjoyment of the work. Not so with poetry. Also, to be honest, I’m always worried I’m not smart or cool enough to “get” most poetry.

Well, thanks goodness for Women of Resistance. I’m still not cool enough, but I got these poems, and these poets get me. With all kinds of contributors, women, men, lgbtqia folks, there are so many voices in the pages of this book, and I love them all.

I hesitate to use the word “important,” because I feel that it’s overused and a book should be more than just that buzzword. It is important, but it is so much more than that. All of these voices coming together to share their views of feminism from their own world view and experiences, it’s super validating as a woman to see other women speaking out about themselves, to create their narratives without someone else trying to tell them how feminism should be for them.

I spent a long time in the “contributors” section and will be taking notes so that I can look up more work by these writers. I am always looking for literature that changes my perspective and/or teaches me something, and these powerful voices have done both. Definitely check it out. I read the e-version of this book, and though I own very few physical books, I am seriously considering buying a print version for my shelf and to lend to friends. Check it out for some great writing and ideas.

A diverse collection of poems focused on feminism and resistance. Please be aware that these poems cover content including sex, rape and violence. Some poems are explicit and that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

I really appreciated the diversity within this collection and the poets unflinching attitudes. Anthologies are always difficult because some poems outshine others, but my only real issue was more with the ebook proof than the actual content.

The proof was formatted terribly. Poems were cut in half, not spaced correctly etc which I think caused some to lose their impact and others were simply confusing. This was very unfortunate because formatting is so carefully considered when making poetry. I do appreciate being sent this ebook proof for free but I hope that in the future publishers consider their proof formatting more carefully, especially with poetry.

Great selection of thought provoking poetry. Thoroughly enjoyed this and will definitely reread gradually over time

This stunning collection includes a variety of authors with wildly different backgrounds and styles. I felt like this is one of the few instances of actual intersectional feminism in collections and I feel both shocked and empowered by the messages included.
49 different contributors means that there's something for everyone, even if you don't like all poetry out there (like me). This book certainly offers food for thought!
My favourite poems include those by Mahogany L. Browne, Kaveh Akbar, Denice Frohman, Kim Addonizio and Rachel McKibbens.

This collection is harder to read than the cute cover would imply. As an anthology, the format changes frequently between writers, but the subjects tend to remain heavy throughout. This will not be something everyone can read.

The poetry is overall well written and flows nicely. I personally, found the topics discussed too overwhelming after reading more than a few poems at a time. While this wasn't entirely unexpected, in the end I just felt like I didn't really want to read anymore and that the poems were just too heavy for something I would want to read for personal enjoyment.

This was hit or miss for me. Some of the poems simply went over my head, others I wanted to re-read because of their shocking truths or simple beauty.
The formatting made reading very awkward which is why I want to definitely check out the book in its physical form.

This poetry collection, edited by Daniella Barnhart and Iris Mahan, opens with Denice Frohman’s poem ’a woman’s place’, and the first lines set the scene for the whole collection:

i heard a woman becomes herself
the first time she speaks
without permission

then, every word out of her mouth
a riot

The collection is huge in scope and has all in all 67 poems from 49 different contributors. This is the main strength of Women of Resistance: it collects together a large cast of diverse voices that all share something about their daily experiences. The collection includes poems by LGBTQ+ authors and writers of colour. The topics covered by the poems range from politics to personal, intimate moments, and the authors talk about sexism, racism, history, motherhood, and marriage, to name just a few. Although the poems differ from each other vastly in style and subject matter, they still form a unified whole. Each poem points out something that is wrong with our world, something that needs to change. As the backgrounds and life experiences of the poets are all different, what they pick up on and what they see in their lives are also different. When read side by side, the poems give you an in-depth look into what it means to exist in the margins of society.

Although the topics the poems cover are bleak, there is an overall feeling of hope, of resistance. It makes you feel connected, and it helps you believe that things can change. The collection reminds you that there is a lot of power in unity. That said, some of the poems can be painful to read, especially the ones that deal with assault and childhood sexual abuse. Therefore I would recommend this collection with a trigger warning for sexual violence.

The collection is split into four untitled sections, and to be honest I didn’t really understand what the connection between the poems in each section is. It’s very possible that I just missed it because I was focusing more on taking in each individual poem and didn’t actively look for overarching themes. However, what I did really like about the way the collection is laid out is that multiple poems by the same author are presented together one after another. It was nice to get a feel for each poet’s style and voice by reading multiple poems by them in a row. I had not heard of any of the poets who contributed to this collection before reading it, and it has definitely introduced me to some new favourites.

I think I found this collection so powerful partly because it is a collection of poetry, and it is difficult for me to imagine that a short story or an essay collection would be quite as effective. Poetry is special in the way it can make abstract concepts tangible and personal experiences universal. It also allows you to take in a lot of information and emotion in a short amount of time without exhausting you to the bone. I think that makes this collection more accessible than many other books on feminism, and I like the idea that the voice of a new feminism is poetry by a genuinely diverse mix of writers.