Dear glorious women, we need your images!

I’m (obviously) very excited about publishing Cathy Bryant’s new book Look At All The Women and want as many people as possible to read her accessible – yet thought-provoking – poetry, so with that in mind I’m going to be producing a YouTube video called ‘Look At All The Women’. Cathy’s already provided me with the sound – her reading of the glorious poem ‘Look At All The Women’ – but now I need some glorious images of women to accompany the poem. So if you have a good quality and high-resolution image that would fit with ANY of the themes of the poem, please do email: teika [at] mothersmilkbooks.com with the image as a jpeg. I would welcome either photographs or artwork but please only send me images for which you own the copyright to and have permission to use. Every kind person who sends me a suitable image that ends up in the video will get a goodie: a free e-version of Cathy’s book (a PDF) when it is released on 28th May, as well as mine and Cathy’s eternal thanks! (Deadline for submission of images is Tuesday 20th May.)

I’m also *fingers-crossed* going to be organizing a blog carnival in the run-up to the release of the book so do stay tuned if you want to be involved with sharing even more glorious womanly creativity! (And p.s. Cathy’s book is now available for pre-order from The Mother’s Milk Bookshop – you get £2 off the RRP of £8.99 if you order before 28th May).

Look At All The Women

Look at that woman breastfeeding in public!
I think it’s absolutely disgusting

the way people give her a hard time.

Look at that lass in a minidress!
Whore! Slag! Bitch! Slut!

are just some of the things she’ll be called
by prejudiced strangers.

Look at that grandmother!
A lot of support is needed

from her for all her friends and relatives,
but she still finds time to lead a vibrant, balanced life.

Look at that campaigner!
She should get to the kitchen,

have a glass of wine and put her feet up,
later on, after standing up for us all.

Look at that woman writer!
It’ll be all flowers, dresses and chocolates

at her many literary award ceremonies.

Look at that sister!
She’s arguing with her siblings again

which, done with affection and a willingness
to compromise, is a really useful life skill.

Look at that stay-at-home mother!
She doesn’t work, of course

apart from 24 hours a day, seven days a week
doing one of the most important jobs there is.

Look at that woman scientist!
She’s outside her natural environment

analysing soil samples from the planet Mars.

Look at me!
Ill and unable to work again

but still making people laugh, and still giving
the best hugs in Manchester.

Look at that cleaner!
The lowest of the low

will sneer at her, as she makes our lives pleasanter
for a pittance.

Look at that daughter!
Disappointing, really

that she still has so much sexism to face.

Look at that lesbian!
You can tell what she needs

— equality, and recognition of
her voice that enriches us all.

Look at that schoolgirl!
They shouldn’t be educated

differently from boys.

Look at all the women!
What a waste of time

life would be without them.



CATHY BRYANT