Books Books Books
Category: Ebooks, Essays, Non Fiction, Poetry
Number of pages: 206
ISBN: 9781781726877
Publication date: March 8, 2023
Price: £9.99
Category: Ebooks, Essays, Non Fiction, Poetry
Number of pages: 206
ISBN: 9781781726884
Publication date: March 8, 2023
Price: £7.99
Out of stock
In Are You Judging Me Yet? Kim Moore explores the relationship between poetry and everyday sexism, in a series of lyrical essays. They draw on her experience of writing and performing the poems in her Forward Prize-winning collection All The Men I Never Married to examine the dynamics of being a female poet performing in a public space.
‘Are you judging me yet, are you surprised?’ is the line from one of Moore’s poems, and challenges the reader to consider their response to a female poet. These essays consider problems with the male gaze and explorations of what the female gaze might look like in poetry, the concepts of complicity, guilt and objectification, the slipperiness of the word sexism and whether poetry can be part of transformational change.
Moore says, “I believe the time is right for a book like this to make an impact. As a female poet, I know there is a need for such a book to examine the intersection between writing, performing, feminism and sexism. I’ve had many conversations with other female poets who have confirmed my thinking – that female poets are navigating these things regularly, and yet it is still difficult to discuss or write about their impact openly.
Are You Judging Me Yet? is designed to encourage readers to make their own connections between the essays. Each chapter ends with a choice of sections to read next, as well as connecting the essays to poems from All The Men I Never Married.
Kim Moore
Kim Moore’s pamphlet If We Could Speak Like Wolves was a winner in the 2011 Poetry Business Pamphlet Competition. Her first collection The Art of Falling (Seren 2015) won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize. Her second collection All The Men I Never Married (Seren, 2021) won the 2022 Forward Prize for Best Collection. Her first non-fiction book What The Trumpet Taught Me was published by Smith/Doorstop in May 2022. A hybrid book of lyric essays and poetry Are You Judging Me Yet? Poetry and Everyday Sexism was published by Seren in March 2023. She is a Lecturer in Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University.
“The writing is nuanced, considered, intelligent. I am grateful to her, for writing a book I can pass on to my daughter. A book that shares ‘lucky escapes’ and cannot promise a world without risk, but will show her, her mouth need not be ‘shut tight’.”
Rebecca Goss, PN Review
Phoebe Walker, The TLS
“Are You Judging Me Yet? is a book of essays and poems that intermingle, thoughtfully and eloquently, to examine / explore the subject of sexism … coming at it from angles that are personal and philosophical, cultural and creative … a fascinating read.”
Mab Jones, Buzz Mag
“A powerful and, in many ways, provocative book written with both rigour and empathy. The acuity is breath-taking. A recommended read.”
Jackie Law, neverimitate
“The impressionism of Kim Moore’s groundbreaking new volume for Seren is a persuasive manifestation of a dialogue having taken place … intellectual honesty is one of Moore’s strongest suits: the self-questioning at every stage of her passage, the open-minded willingness to consider the leaky rafts of criticism … a seminal contribution to a necessary dialogue.”
Steve Whitaker, Yorkshire Times
Kim Moore, in a thoroughly engaging and intelligent series of essays that invite the reader to select either a linear or a ‘Fighting Fantasy’ reading, grapples with what it means to stand in performance – as a female poet … Moore’s book is important and very welcome – and one of mixed feelings. Her pain and anger are palpable … these essays are also an assertion and celebration of risk, come what may. Are you judging me yet? Bring it on.
Kathryn Gray, Nation Cymru
“Through her powerful writing, Moore opens the door to an impassioned debate about the modern world of gender politics … her writing is raw and emotional, yet there is a sense of empowerment that can be felt on every single page.”
Cerys Leigh-Phipps, Wales Arts Review
