Guest Editor’s Note: Best of Women Poetry

Padmaja Iyengar-Paddy
Dear SETU readers and my poet friends,

Here I am again, invited to guest edit the special March’20 issue of SETU – the ‘Best of Women’s Poetry’! The Editor (English) Dr. Sunil Sharma suggested that I select the 40 best of women’s poetry from across the world! A tough call for me as I know so many women poets who write exceedingly well! Equally, I don’t know many women poets who perhaps write better! Well, within these limitations, I present here the 46 ‘Best of Women’s Poetry’!

As the poems came in, it was as always, pure joy for me to read them! Ah, so much variety and so much learning for me from each of these women poets and their poetry!

I was awe-struck when poet Mallika Chari from Wardha, Maharashtra, India sent me her
senryu (a genre of haiku poetry) on women! Sample this:

space
the orbiting Mangalyaan carried
women power

I believe, this is perhaps, one of the best tributes to the women scientists who helmed the path-breaking Indian Mars Mission (Mangalyaan)! Another interesting one was this:

back and forth
she swings hooked
to the morals

How true! And this one from my friend Magie Faure-Vidot Vijay-Kumar of Seychelles, to which most of us women can relate:

Be patient Magie
I became resilient
But remained a civil guardian
Wore my different caps
To absorb the heavy downpours from
various taps

And another one by my friend Alicja Maria Kuberska of Poland, that resonated with me as I am sure, it will with other women too:

The woman's handbag contains
a few items
and the whole world of the owner

And finally, this by my friend Ambika Ananth of Bengaluru, Karnataka, India:

They are her mind screens
flashing her aspirations and yearnings…
The beautiful secrets in a woman’s eyes
You can perceive only when
you open the sealed eyelids of your mind.

My dear readers, as you read each one of these 46 ‘Best of Women’s Poetry’ in this issue of SETU, I am sure, you will revisit the poems as each one of them speaks beyond what it seeks to communicate, and with each re-read, you will discover something new and something refreshing and unfathomable too…immediately…

These poems have come to soothe you at a time, when we are all indoors under a national lock down by most countries of the world, as our healthcare professionals and respective governments are grappling with the Corona Virus. Let’s all take care, stay safe, stay indoors, and reflect by turning the light inwards and say a silent prayer of gratitude!

I thank Dr. Sunil Sharma, the Editor (English), SETU for once again giving me this great opportunity to be the Guest Editor of this ‘Best of Women’s Poetry’ issue and for the rewarding experience! Last but not the least I thank all the women poets featured here (and also those who mailed their poems but for some reason whose poems couldn’t be featured here), for readily responding to my call, SETU’s call, with their excellent poetry!



Best of Women Poetry: Featured Authors


Ms. Alicia Minjarez Ramirez
Ms. Alicja Maria Kuberska
Ms. Amanita Sen
Ms. Ambika Anant
Ms. Anju Kishore
Dr. Anuradha Bhattacharyya
Ms. Avril Meallem
Dr. Barathi Srinivasan
Ms. Brenda Mohammad
Ms. Devi Nangrani
Ms. Elizabeth Kurian ‘Mona’
Ms. Geeta Varma
Ms. Geethanjali Dilip
Ms. Hema Ravi
Ms. Jyoti Kanetkar
***
Ms. Kalyna Temerty-Canta
Dr. Kamala Wijeratne
Dr. Ketaki Datta
Ms. Lilian Woo
Ms. Lilla Latus
Ms. Magie Faure-Vidot Vijay-Kumar
Ms. Mallika Chari
Dr. Margaret Saine
Dr. Maria Do Sameiro Barrasso
Dr. Maria Miraglia
Ms. Marian Eikelhof
Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra
Ms. K. Pankajam
Dr. Paramita Mukherjee Mullick
Ms. Pramila Khadun
***
Ms. Preeta Chandran
Ms. Pushmaotee Subrun
Dr. Raja Rajeswari Seetha Raman
Ms. Roula Pollard
Dr. Sangeeta Sharma
Dr. Santosh Bakaya
Ms. Seena Sreevalson
Ms. Shernaz Wadia
Dr. Sigma G R
Dr. S. Sridevi
Ms. Srishti Sharma
Ms. Sumita Dutta Shoam
Ms. Swapna Behera
Dr. Varsha Das
Ms. Vidya Shankar
Ms. Vinita Agrawal

6 comments :

  1. Thank you respected Paddy for choosing my poem for this issue.

    ReplyDelete
  2. mallika chari, wardha, maharashtra, india.
    i am elited by your words in your editor's note, with a special mention of mu senyru.

    ReplyDelete
  3. hemaravi24@gmail.comApril 11, 2020 at 12:09 PM

    The editorial speaks volumes about your poetic prowess...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much dear Hema, for your appreciation!

      Delete
  4. It's a pleasure dear Brenda Mohammad! Looking forward to our continued association!

    ReplyDelete

We welcome your comments related to the article and the topic being discussed. We expect the comments to be courteous, and respectful of the author and other commenters. Setu reserves the right to moderate, remove or reject comments that contain foul language, insult, hatred, personal information or indicate bad intention. The views expressed in comments reflect those of the commenter, not the official views of the Setu editorial board. рдк्рд░рдХाрд╢िрдд рд░рдЪрдиा рд╕े рд╕рдо्рдмंрдзिрдд рд╢ाрд▓ीрди рд╕рдо्рд╡ाрдж рдХा рд╕्рд╡ाрдЧрдд рд╣ै।