Quo Anima: Spirituality and Innovation in Contemporary Women’s Poetry

Quo Anima studies the poetry of contemporary women poets in relation to spirituality and innovative form. In the past two decades, a lively conversation has taken shape as more and more poets have risked engagement with various forms of mysticism. However, much of the critical response to this work has focused on male writers: there is a critical gap where women poets and the subject of spirituality is concerned. Quo Anima addresses that gap by offering a wide array of responses to women writers who are engaging with questions of spirituality. This anthology is distinctive not only for its subject matter but also because it includes essays, interviews, personal statements, and poems. In addition, all of the contributing authors are poets. The collection considers the work of accomplished poets including (but not limited to) Brenda Hillman, Fanny Howe, Susan Howe, Alice Notley, Cole Swensen, and Cecilia Vicuna as well as a range of less widely-known, yet significant, poets.