Twenty-six poets, one letter each: an alphabet of women

Sydney poet Miriam Hechtman tells Paula Towers about the genesis of her unique anthology of female poetry

WHEN SYDNEY POET and writer Miriam Hechtman decided to create an anthology of poetry by female poets, each contributor was assigned a letter with an alliterative focus and invited to “follow their heart”.

“Form is so important in poetry,” Hechtman says. “It gives you boundaries and then the story finds its place.”

Having settled on a framework, Hechtman describes The Alphabet of Women, her first book, as “bringing together 26 eclectic alliterating poets to tell the story of woman through the sounds and cadences of the alphabet, from rage to tenderness, politics to the body, motherhood to daughterhood, vaginas to mother earth.

“The story was open. Poems could be anything related to women/woman but had to use many words with the allocated letter.”

Hechtman says she wanted the collection to include women from different backgrounds, religions, ages, colours, cultures and sexual preferences.” Indeed, the contributors come from across the world including Ireland, Brazil, Sri Lanka, America, England, South Africa, Bosnia, Argentina, New Zealand and Israel.

The Alphabet of Women is being launched next Wednesday, right on the heels of International Women’s Day (March 8) and will feature several of the women performing their work, including Ginette Ball, Jessica Chapnik Kahn, Limor Fayena and Joanne Fedler, as well as Hechtman.

Hechtman, also founder and host of Poetica – a monthly open mic night for poetry and music in Sydney, explains to Plus61Media how the project began in 2018.

“Poetica’s International Women’s Day gathering was that night and I hadn’t written a word. Where to begin with the Patriarchy – the obvious starting point for a rant on all that had wronged woman. Police. Prisons. Patriotism. P. Hmmm. What’s up with the letter P? Nothing like a little sound repetition to get words flowing. ‘Dear letter P’, I began, ‘you have let us down.’ And so began my ode to the letter P. … Now we’ve got Putin to add!” she exclaims.