Our Voices, Our Lives | 21.2

1998

Digital only; out of stock in print.

In Writing a Woman’s Life, Carolyn G. Heilbrun’s 1988 explora­ tion of the biography of women, she says, “Women must turn to one another for stories; they must share the stories of their lives and their hopes and their unacceptable fantasies.” This issue of Room of One’s Own contains a selection, both fictional and biographical, of some of these shared lives, hopes and fantasies.

Susan L. Feldman’s essay leads us through the stages of her own life, while Lorraine Robinson presents us with the life of her great-grandmother. The fiction of Cullene Bryant and Norma DePledge introduce us to the voices of two women and two different types of revenge. Andrea Nemeth and R.K. Marfurt both examine the connection between mothers and daughters, and Elizabeth Ruth explores the world of madness.

The voices of the poets in this issue are equally strong and varied. Ruth Daigon, A. Mary Murphy and Anna Humphrey present women in change, life and death. Diane Buchanan writes about her daughter, while Elizabeth Engelman and Elizabeth Bartel write about their fathers. And our beautiful cover is by Kim Stallknecht, whose three other photos in this issue show howcharacter is revealed through our faces, images and bodies.

And on a final note, in addition to reviewing fiction and poetry, for the first time Room takes a look at some recent non­ fiction. Let us know what you think. As always, we welcome your comments and thoughts.