WHY GOD IS A WOMAN by Nin Andrews [Review by Jessie Carty]

(Ed note: Nin Andrews is a long-time contributor to this blog. You can find her comics here and her "Meet the Press" interviews with the people behind small presses here. We were pleased to find this review of her recent book, "Why God is a Woman." sdh)

There are two definitions for the word fabulous. One that we are perhaps most familiar with as in, “How fabulous are those drapes?” But there is also a second definition that refers back to the word fable. I want to think about both of these definitions as I  explore my recent reading of Nin Andrews’ newest poetry collection Why God Is a Woman.

Let me start with the second use of the word fabulous, because this collection opens in an unreal location. These poems are set on a fictional island that is purported to be on Earth. (There are references, for example, to Europe and to Angelina Jolie.) On this island the women are the captains of industry while the men worry about their beauty and their wings.

Yes. Their wings. As Andrews writes on page 33, “After all, the Island women prefer men with wings. Wings are considered the essence of the Island male’s mystique.” Each poem in this collection touches on a different aspect of gender identity through role reversals.

Continue reading over at The Rumpus.