'What We Carry brings together the voices of more than 60 contemporary Australian poets to provide accounts of childbearing that are both lyrical and embodied. Featuring diverse voices and perspectives on experiences of infertility, conception, termination, loss, pregnancy, birth and the early postpartum period, this collection illuminates the endlessly different ways the potential to carry life is experienced. The poems invite you to share incredibly personal stories – some humourous, some sincere, some full of elation and love, others frustration or despair. They provide powerful insights into the potential for childbearing experiences to shape us, change the trajectories of our lives, and teach us about what it means to be human. For after all, all of us were carried, at the beginning.'
Source : publisher's blurb
Contributors:
Alicia Sometimes, Anne Casey, Anne Elvey, Anita Patel, Audrey Molloy, Bogumiła Żongołłowicz, Brendan Bonsack, Bron Bateman, Charmaine Papertalk Green, Claire Delahunty, Dani Netherclift, Debbie Lim, Dominique Hecq, Durga Wolf, Eileen Chong, Eleanor Jackson, Ella Kurz, Emily Sun, Es Foong, Esther Ottaway, Felicity Plunkett, Gillian Swain, Ivy Alvarez, Jacqui Malins, Jeanine Leane, Jennifer Compton, Jennifer Harrison, Jen Webb, Jo Langdon, Jodi Vial, Judith Bishop, Kim Cheng Boey, Kirli Saunders, Lauren Hodes, Leni Shilton, LK Holt, Lucy Alexander, Lucy Dougan, Magdalena Ball, Maria Takolander, Mark Tredinnick, Melinda Smith, Michelle Cahill, Miriam Wei Wei Lo, Moya Pacey, M.T.C. Cronin, Nadia Rhook, Nandi Chinna, Natalie D-Napoleon, Natalie Harkin, Nathan Curnow, Nicole Smede, Paul Collis, Penelope Layland, Petra White, Quinn Eades, Relja Cvjetićanin, Reneé Pettitt-Schipp, Rose Lucas, Saba Vasefi, Samia Goudie, Simone King, Suneeta Peres da Costa, Susan Fealy, Susie Walsh, Vesna Flower Cvjetićanin, Zeina Issa.
'On her explosive, feminist début album Dry (1992), a young P.J. Harvey sang ‘Look at these my childbearing hips’, proudly proclaiming women’s strength and physicality. The word ‘childbearing’ conjures strong feelings and images for many of us – whether of childbirth, sleep deprivation, devotion, or a whole new way of life. It signifies much more than childbirth itself and is a fitting choice for the subtitle of this anthology, Poetry on childbearing. This emotionally powerful collection covers an expansive range of experiences: infertility, conception, pregnancy, birth, and life with a baby (or not).' (Introduction)
'On her explosive, feminist début album Dry (1992), a young P.J. Harvey sang ‘Look at these my childbearing hips’, proudly proclaiming women’s strength and physicality. The word ‘childbearing’ conjures strong feelings and images for many of us – whether of childbirth, sleep deprivation, devotion, or a whole new way of life. It signifies much more than childbirth itself and is a fitting choice for the subtitle of this anthology, Poetry on childbearing. This emotionally powerful collection covers an expansive range of experiences: infertility, conception, pregnancy, birth, and life with a baby (or not).' (Introduction)
