“It uses concentrated language: less words, more meaning. All words are chosen carefully by the poet so that each word is important… For me, poetry adds definition and clarity to my place in the world, and I can’t imagine life without it.”

“Ever since I was a young girl, I’ve loved reading books about strong women. Beginning in elementary school, I remember the library books on the shelf: Joan of Arc, Marie Curie, Amelia Earhart, Anne Frank, Eleanor Roosevelt, Pearl Buck, Helen Keller. These books were biographies, but in recent years, I’ve discovered the “memoir,” which is a collection of personal memories written by the women themselves.”