Description
Book SynopsisUnique poems that bring history to life by weaving narratives of the Salem Witch Trials with stories of contemporary women. Set against the historical backdrop of the Salem Witch Trials,
Her Kind is a book about women: women viewed as witches, women making their own choices, women fighting for freedom, women who are innocent, and women who are used or disregarded by their cultures. The lyrical poems in this collection skillfully braid together narratives of the female victims of the Salem Witch Trials with the experiences of contemporary women viewed as witches for their personal histories, their political circumstances, or for speaking out and making their own choices. A blend of lyrical and narrative poems,
Her Kind celebrates women refusing the victim role and reclaiming their magic.
Trade Review“
Her Kind, with its nod to Sexton’s dark fairy tale of sisterhood, is an essential book of our age, as women are once again endangered and marginalized, as we must equate silence with ‘trouble, / a brewing.’ These powerful portraits and tragic stories remind us—not only do people take selfies where women were murdered and convert dungeons into tourist traps—but ‘Some things are not // meant to be forgotten,’ and every woman, in order to survive, must conjure her strongest self. This is a stunning collection of poems.” -- Jennifer Militello, author of ‘The Pact’
“Rarely do I read a book all in one sitting then want to run out into the world yelling,
You’ve got to read these poems!, but such is the case with Cindy Veach’s newest collection,
Her Kind. Grounded with poems about the Salem Witch Trials, Veach moves from historical to personal to political without missing a beat. A chronicle of women’s histories—our losses, what was stolen, and ultimately, our strength in what we take back.
Her Kind is a stunning collection of lyrical, powerful, and poignant poems, where we aren’t at the top of a hill looking down at what happened, we are immersed in the stories and—
We climb with her. We climb with her.
Her Kind is a book that reminds every woman to never let anyone take her magic—an absolute must-read and an essential collection for every bookshelf.” -- Kelli Russell Agodon, author of ‘Dialogues with Rising Tides’
“
Her Kind, Cindy Veach’s powerful second collection, emphasizes why poetry is essential. Her impeccable ear, her reclaiming of the witch myths from the Salem Witch Trials, the end of her long marriage intertwined with this country’s fraught political landscape make us more aware of the world around us. She reconciles history while living it by using voices from the past to infuse the present. These gritty, lyrical poems continually enrich and surprise. Veach’s writing is transformative. How lucky we are to witness this book as it ‘shape shifts, becomes bells, fingers, spires, becomes omen.’” -- January Gill O’Neil, author of ‘Rewilding’
"What does it mean for a woman to be considered a witch? How does the patriarchal image of problematic women as witches endure across history, and into the present day? And how can reclaiming this image become for a contemporary woman a source of resistance and empowerment, without erasing the marks of suffering and loss? These are the concerns of Cindy Veach’s powerful new collection
Her Kind... While the subject matter is gripping, one of the book’s greatest strengths is Veach’s mastery of craft and form. One aspect of this is certainly her graceful integration of seventeenth-century discourse into modern verse, allowing it to sing in its strangeness. Beyond that, the poems shift shape throughout, flexing their own verbal magic." * Ocean State Review *
Table of ContentsI, Witch
Rose of Jericho
Spectral Evidence
Elizabeth Howe of Sorrows
I Have Seen Women Manipulate Men with Just a Twitch of Their Eye
Rebecca Nurse of the Accused
In the Snare of the Devil
You Are Witnessing the Single Greatest Witch Hunt in American Political History
Dear Moon
Contradiction Express
At the Threshold
A Crazed, Crying Lowlife and a Dog
Apparition
Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Declared a Saint Before Huge Crowd at the Vatican
Margaret Scott of Children Lost
Reasons You Might Have Been Accused of Being a Witch in 1692
Tornado Warning
Ogre
Our Lady of Perpetual Compassion
Pretending Kindness
I, Kikimora
Oomancy Triggers Witch Hunt
Mary of the Blessed Innocent
I, Circe
He Damaged Me
No Collusion
Wife/Witch
In Search Of
Such a Nasty Woman
Woman Climbs Statue of Liberty in Protest
Practice the Spell: Divorce
I Filed for Divorce & Sundry Other Acts of Witchcraft Therefore
I, Chedipe
What Bird Was That
For Leaving
Watching the News in My Attorney’s Waiting Room
I Don’t Know. I Don’t Know
Poem the Day After Kavanaugh is Confirmed to the Highest Court in the Land
Gallows Project Team Verifies Site of Salem Witch Trials Hangings
Witch Dungeon Museum
Trump Has Called the Investigation a Witch Hunt 84 Times
You’ve Got to Deny, Deny and Push Back on These Women
Obstruction of Justice
Taylor Swift Makes Forbes Power Women List
Spell
He Punishes Me with Flowers
Settlement
I, Hecate
Notes
Acknowledgements
