Under Her Skin: A Women in Horror Poetry Showcase, Vol. I

by Linda D. Addison, Toni Miller (Editor), Lindy Ryan (Editor), Marge Simon

Overview

A showcase of poetry from some of the darkest and most lyrical voices of women in horror.

Under Her Skin features the best in never-before-published dark verse and lyrical prose from the voices of Women in Horror. Centered on the innate relationship between body horror and the female experience, this collection features work from Bram-Stoker Award® winning and nominated authors, as well as dozens of poems from women (cis and trans) and non-binary femmes.

Edited by Lindy Ryan and Toni Miller, Under Her Skin celebrates women in horror from cover to cover. In addition to poems contributed by seventy poets, the collection also features a foreword penned by Science Fiction Poetry Association (SFPA) Grand Master and recipient of the Horror Writers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, Linda D. Addison; interior illustrations by Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association Grand Master and recipient of the Horror Writers Association Lifetime Achievement Award Marge Simon; and cover art by noted horror artist Lynne Hansen.

"Not for the faint of heart...Each word and phrase has been structured in such a way that the reader will experience an intense depth of emotion and feelings." —EGuide Magazine

"...varied themes, approaches, and poetic structures create a diverse series of horror inspections. Under Her Skin is unparalleled in scope, creativity, and literary strength." —Midwest Book Review

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781645480310
Publisher:	Black Spot Books
Publication date:	04/05/2022
Series:	A Women in Horror Poetry Showcase
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	162
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Toni Miller is one of the co-founders of the Ladies of Horror Fiction and the host of the Ladies of Horror Fiction Podcast. She also reviews horror and dark fiction at The Misadventures of a Reader and has published several non-fiction pieces in Aphotic Realm Magazine. Toni lives in the Sonoran Desert with her husband, son, and the spotted one. Lindy Ryan is the president and publisher of Black Spot Books, an imprint of Vesuvian Media Group. She is an award-winning and bestselling author and editor. Lindy currently serves on the board of directors for the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) and was recognized as one of Publishers Weekly's Star Watch Honorees in 2020.

Table of Contents

Foreword Linda D. Addison ix

Introduction Toni Miller xi

Notes From The Editors xiii

Poems

Her Tabatha Wood 1

We Morgan Sylvia 3

Beautiful L. Marie Wood 5

Skin Care Routine Cynthia Pelayo 7

My Skin Cindy O'Quinn 9

Acceptable Femme Tiffany Meuret 10

Inside of Me Betsy Niccherta 12

Metamorphosis Caitlin Marceau 14

It Hurts When I Breathe Mercedes M. Yardley 16

Designer Girls Elsa M. Carruthers 19

Sanctification Amanda Kirby 20

I Cut Away the Parts That Offend You Elsa M. Carruthers 21

Something that Needs Destroyed Linda M. Crate 22

Magnificent Desiree Abalos 23

Smile Nico Bell 24

Unbecoming Porcelain Nikki R. Leigh 26

What the Dead Girl Is Trying To Say through What's Left of Her Mouth Lindsay King-Miller 27

Anything but What Is Linda M. Crate 28

With Blood Jennifer Crow 29

Harm Emily Ruth Verona 30

Snakeskin Stephanie M. Wytovich 31

These Men Are All One Monster Cassondra Windwalker 32

When the Witches Came Out of Us Donna Lynch 34

Proserpine Antonia Rachel Ward 36

Winnow Tiffany Michelle Brown 38

My Tainted Touch Mary Rajotte 39

Untouched Marilyn Fabiola 40

Nightfall Stephanie Athena Valente 41

The Right Frequency Jessica McHugh 43

Words Unspoken Mary Rajotte 44

To Bloom In Blood Sara Tantlinger 45

Shredded Alterations Sara Tantlinger 47

The Deepest Cut Nancy Brewka-Clark 49

Strange Bedfellows Angela Sylvaine 50

Soft Box Amy Grech 52

Eldritch Mother Melodie Bolt 53

Outside In Dalena Storm 54

Zombification Roni Stinger 55

Molting Roni Stinger 56

Intimate Communion Roni Stinger 57

Midnight Maelstrom Monique Snyman 58

Symbiotic Beasts Marge Simon 59

Conjuring Regrets Eva V. Roslin 60

When You Miriam H. Harrison 61

Fingers of Feathers Rie Sheridan Rose 63

Womb Heart Head Raven Isobel Plum 64

My Body, My Book Carina Bissett 66

I Carry Maureen O'Leary 68

The Edge Annie Neugebauer 69

Pieces Annie Neugebauer 70

Shameful Lee Murray 72

Dririmancy Tiffany Morris 73

Every Morning Aimee Lowenstern 74

Regeneration/Collapse Tiffany Morris 75

Lovely Like Honey Brianna Malotke 76

Lilies Left for Mom Brianna Malotke 78

Growing Pains Amy Lowenstern 80

The Void Julieanne Lynch 81

Split Blaise Langlois 83

Skin Changer Blaise Langlois 84

Conception EV Knight 85

Broken Fingers Emma Kathryn 86

A Home to Those Who Fly Naching T. Kasss 88

Shed Vivian Kasley 90

Danse De La Mort R.J. Joseph 91

Betrayer R.J. Joseph 92

Religion for Women Patricia Gomes 93

Wave Breaker Vanessa Jae 94

I Begin to Become Numinous Juleigh Howard-Hobson 95

The Dark Cocoon Samantha Holland 96

Amestris Shira Haus 97

Medusa in Face and Form Cordelia Harrison 100

Bloodroot Amanda Kirby 102

A Carnival of Suffering H. Grim 103

A Recurring Nightmare Abigail Gray 105

Trapped Kerri-Leigh Grady 107

Clam Baskets Returned Patricia Gomes 108

Bone Key Emma J. Gibbon 110

Queen Alyson Faye 111

Dear Baptist Tracy Fahey 113

Better By Now N. J. Ember 114

Dissolving Connections Stephanie Ellis 115

Corpse Consortium Darien Dillon 116

Aetos Dios Darien Dillon 118

Bits of you, Still Kept Maggie Shurtleff 119

Our Lady's Bird Carina Bissett 120

The Last Woman Tiffany Michelle Brown 122

The Carrion Flowers Morgan Sylvia 124

About the Editors 126

About the Poets 128

Editorial Reviews

"Not for the faint of heart...Each word and phrase has been structured in such a way that the reader will experience an intense depth of emotion and feelings." —Gini Rainey, EGuide Magazine
 

"...varied themes, approaches, and poetic structures create a diverse series of horror inspections. Under Her Skin is unparalleled in scope, creativity, and literary strength. It is highly recommended for any collection strong in women's writings, horror, or literary works." —Midwest Book Review

"Exquisite, bloody, and unflinching, Under Her Skin will leave you eviscerated and transformed. The collection features some of the strongest voices in horror poetry today as they slice open the female experience and hold up each glistening morsel for examination." —Geneve Flynn, Bram Stoker® and Shirley Jackson Award winner

“The fragile resilience of women is explored in this beautiful, brooding collection where every nook of the shadow feminine is prodded and exposed. The best in female dark poets have gathered together to examine the collective pieces that make up who we are. Without apology, these women share both fire and flaws, pinning it all to the page. They redefine what it means to be a woman. Raw and authentic, these poems bleed agony...but there is no defeat here. This isn't the poetry of victims asking for mercy. Rather they face the world, naked and unapologetic. They don't request acceptance. They forge their own place where they are perfect as they are, every scar an accolade. These are poems of blood and sinew, knitting our parts together in pain, the burdens placed upon our shoulders hefted and thrown back. All parts of the female physique are explored—Everything Under Her Skin—and every sum of her is breath-taking.” —Angela Yuriko Smith, Bram Stoker Award®-Nominee

"Powerful and visceral, the poems in Under Her Skin scream of the brutal realities women endure in life. These voices, long silenced, testify to the need for women to be treated as individuals with agency and rights, not pieces of property... A difficult read for those who endure. A necessary read for everybody else." —Christina Sng, Two-time Bram Stoker Award®-winning poet

“Under Her Skin pair[s] body horror with verse to explore…the female experience, including the endless and sometimes surgical quest for unattainable beauty, the inherent and catastrophic violence of abusive relationships and societal expectations, and the frightening transformation(s) of motherhood.” —Rue Morgue

"Visceral poems pack an emotional punch, and yet, also hold a beauty, truth, and lyricism that cannot be denied... A message carried with strength by the entire volume." —Becky Spratford, Library Journal

"The quantity of writers, known and unknown, as well as the diversity of voices makes this all but required reading for anyone interested in the various directions horror poetry can and will take." —Joshua Gage, Cemetery Dance

From the Publisher

04/01/2022

In her introduction to this poetry collection, Linda Addison (How To Recognize a Demon Has Become Your Friend) perfectly sets the stage for the texts to follow: "We were never the Final Girl. We are the Witch, the Myth, the giver of Life, feared." Addison beckons readers to enter this thought-provoking poetry anthology, featuring 70 different women—cis, trans, and nonbinary femmes—whose poems focus their terrifying gaze on body horror in particular and being a woman in general. These are powerful poems, their range in subject matter, style, level of fear and gore as wide and varied as how women experience the horrific truth of their lives. While the table of contents is filled with recognizable names such as Cynthia Pelayo, Stephanie Wytovich, and Lee Murry, two entries that stand out are "Harm" by Emily Ruth Verone and "Beautiful" by L. Marie Wood, visceral poems that pack an emotional punch, and yet, also hold a beauty, truth and lyricism that cannot be denied; a message carried with strength by the entire volume. VERDICT Poetry is an excellent format for probing the dark emotions that define horror, and this anthology, and its evocative cover, will entice readers to engage with dozens of fierce and chilling voices. Just be prepared to add more horror poetry and new authors to your collections as a result.—Becky Spratford

Library Journal