A landmark literary anthology of poems, stories, and essays, Choice Words collects essential voices that renew our courage in the struggle to defend reproductive rights. Twenty years in the making, the book spans continents and centuries. This collection magnifies the voices of people reclaiming the sole authorship of their abortion experiences. These essays, poems, and prose are a testament to the profound political power of defying shame.
Contributors include Ai, Amy Tan, Anne Sexton, Audre Lorde, Bobbie Louise Hawkins. Camonghne Felix, Carol Muske-Dukes, Diane di Prima, Dorothy Parker, Gloria Naylor, Gloria Steinem, Gwendolyn Brooks, Jean Rhys, Joyce Carol Oates, Judith Arcana, Kathy Acker, Langston Hughes, Leslie Marmon Silko, Lindy West, Lucille Clifton, Mahogany L. Browne, Margaret Atwood, Molly Peacock, Ntozake Shange, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Sharon Doubiago, Sharon Olds, Shirley Geok-lin Lim, Sholeh Wolpe, Ursula Le Guin, and Vi Khi Nao.
Reviews:
"With reproductive rights under relentless assault, never has a book been more needed. Annie Finch has spanned five centuries and six continents to assemble writers who articulate a commonality of experience in every situation and emotion. Conceived and compiled with scrupulous scholarship, and with an illuminating introduction by Katha Pollitt, Choice Words will become a classic of both feminism and literature." --Robin Morgan, activist, author, host of Women's Media Center Live
"Choice Words is an important contribution to our movement for abortion access. It's time to read what literary voices have been saying about abortion. As we read their voices and stories, we have more nuanced context as we navigate our own lives." --Yamani Hernandez, Executive Director, National Network of Abortion Funds
About the Editor:
Annie Finch, editor of Choice Words: Writers on Abortion, is an award-winning feminist poet, writer, and performer. Her eighteen books include Spells: New and Selected Poems, and Among the Goddesses: An Epic Libretto in Seven Dreams, a ritual poem on abortion which received the Sarasvati Award. Annie holds a BA from Yale and a Ph.D from Stanford. Based in Washington, DC, she travels to teach and to perform her work.