Sharon Bryan, poet and editor of River City, wrote to almost eighty women poets asking them how they felt about their particular relationship to literary tradition in her quest to understand and sort out her own confusions on the topic of gender and poetry. This volume of twenty-two essays by women poets is the fruit of that venture. Among topics considered are the childhood experiences that shaped these authors both as writers and as women, to the thoughts on the poets.

Who most influenced their work. The approaches to these issues are as broad and diverse as the backgrounds of the authors, who represent several generations of contemporary writers. They range from Eavan Boland's essay in which she explores her roots as an Irish poet, to Maxine Kumin's consideration of her generation's shaping context, to Amy Clampitt's account of her decision to become a poet, to Joy Harjo's powerful sense of other traditions, especially her Muscogee.

Background. Moving, personal, and brave, these essays show us what it means to be a woman who writes. Despite the common threads in the experience of these women, there is no clear consensus; Where We Stand represents a plurality of voices, not a chorus.