Catherine J. Mahony

An all-new collection from the award-winning poet and critically acclaimed author, Catherine J. Mahony, with accompanying ekphrasis by celebrated photographer Andy Sch n and renowned artist Laura Gelsomini. "I have been in knots since the day I was born. I was separated from my birth mother and became an individual by the tying of a fleshy knot. My stomach was in knots as I watched my adopted mother die from a massive stroke. I then tied knots in nooses that encircled my trachea. I tied knots in tourniquets as I waited for heroin to saturate my bloodstream and bring me false euphoria. They tied knots in restraints to fasten me to mental institution gurneys. When I became pregnant with my daughter, my conscience was in knots as I made the ultimate decision to get sober and raise her as a single parent who suffers from borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder. These binding and enslaving knots from my past began to unravel and I had to learn how to become a mother without ever really having any true knowledge about what that meant. Some days I still dangle, helpless, from a frayed rope. But other days, the bond that connects me to my motherhood (lost and found) keeps me hanging on with the hope that I can be the mother my daughter deserves. - Catherine J. Mahony"

Over the last two years, criture feminine, or female writing, has been quintessential in forming the wider narrative of Lehigh Valley Vanguard. When crusading against social norms, specifically capitalist culture, women are primary agents in crafting a new sense of purpose. If we are to relinquish capitalist patriarchy, highlighting female expression may get us thinking about paths to change. Those who are oppressed by the current system can provide insight into how we may transform it. Sometimes overtly, but also through more imaginative means. In some of these pieces we are looking at female experience through the course of generations. What can we learn from the echo of our ancestors? How can we take those reverberations and make them meaningful for decades to come? You will find all the waves of feminism up to this point informing the writing of each author. Each in diverse ways, each woman rendering their distinctive voice. Examine the narratives in this volume. Explore what criture feminine can show us about radical change.