Guest Editor’s Note: Women Poetry: The Myth of Medusa Deconstructed

Padmaja Iyengar-Paddy
Dear Setu readers and my dear poet friends,

Greetings. When a bowler takes a hat trick of wickets, the entire stadium erupts into a frenzy of celebrations and raptures. I experienced the same feelings of celebration and rapture, when Dr. Sunil Sharma, Editor-English, Setu, invited me for the third year in a row, to helm Setu, March, 2021 Women’s Special Edition, as Guest Editor. Needless to add that I readily accepted the assignment!

The theme of Setu, March, 2021 Women’s Special Edition is “The Myth of Medusa Deconstructed”. The entire credit for conceiving of this excellent theme goes to Dr. Sunil Sharma, the Editor-English, Setu.  Think Medusa, and a sense of sadness pervades one for the sheer injustice and unfairness meted out to Medusa by Poseidon and Athena! Sadly, strangely and unfortunately, Medusas still abound all around us – raped, then blamed and shamed, and even killed - the perpetrator often goes scot free and untainted!

I thoroughly enjoyed the learning experience of reading the Medusa-themed poems by 23 talented women poets from 11 countries – Bangladesh, Greece, India, Italy, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Sri Lanka, Trinidad & Tobago and USA. They have presented different dimensions of Medusa in their poems, especially highlighting the contemporary realities!

My deepest gratitude to the women poets who responded to Setu’s call and have made the valuable and generous contribution of their poems to this Special Women’s Edition of Setu, on the theme of “The Myth of Medusa Deconstructed”.

Come, enjoy the rich fare of poetry themed on “The Myth of Medusa Deconstructed” in this March, 2021 edition of Setu!



Women Poetry: The Myth of Medusa Deconstructed:
Featured Authors

Ms. Alicia Maria Kuberska, Poland
Ms. Brenda Mohammed, Trinidad & Tobago
Ms. Chryssa Velissariou, Greece
Ms. Claudia Piccino, Italy
Ms. Fayeza Hasnat, USA
Ms. Hema Ravi, India
Dr. Kamala Wijeratne, Sri Lanka
Dr. Ketaki Datta, India
Dr. Margaret Saine, USA
Dr. Maria Do Sameiro Barraso, Portugal
Ms. Marian Eikelhof, Netherlands
Dr. Meenakshi Mohan, USA
Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra, India
Ms. Pankajam K, India
Dr. Paramita Mukherjee Mullick, India
Ms. Sangeeta Gupta, India
Dr. Sangeeta Sharma, India
Ms. Sankalpita Mullick, India
Ms. Seena Sreevalson, India
Ms. Shafinur Shafin, Bangladesh
Dr. Sigma Sathish, India
Ms. Sreetanwi Chakraborty, India
Ms. Virginia Jasmin Pasalo, Philippines
***

4 comments :

  1. Thank you, Padmaja Iyengar - Paddy for including my poems in this outstanding Anthology "The Myth of Medusa Deconstructed" which has received over 2,000,000 views.
    I greatly appreciate that you requested my contribution.
    Congratulations on the great work you do, and Congratulations to all participants.

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    1. Thank you so much dear and respected Brenda Mohammed for your kind words for me and the contributors of "The Myth of Medusa Deconstructed" themed poems! The no. of views mention is the number of views received by Setu magazine till date!

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  2. I am grateful, Padma, and honored to work with you again. I admire your dedication to the task and your work ethic. God bless you.

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    Replies
    1. Completely a pleasure and honour, respected poet and dear friend Jardin de la Jasmin!

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