Women Loving Women Wednesday

~ Jennifer @ The Relentless Reader ~ 1 Comment

Avery Reviews –

If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho translated by Anne Carson

Well, it has certainly been a minute or two since I’ve written for my mom’s blog! I was 14 the last time you may have read one of my guest reviews. Now I’m 20 years old, have two years of college under my belt (PoliSci major and WGSS minor here!), and don’t need my mom to do nearly as much proof reading of my reviews. It’s nice to be back! I hope you’ll all enjoy delving into some WLW poetry with me.

It feels appropriate to start with the OG lesbian. It’s truly a crime how long it took for me to finally get my hands on this book. We’re going right back to the roots of where my love for sapphic poetry first started to bloom. When we had a short unit on Sappho in my poetry class this last semester I’m pretty sure that whole class could feel my excitement. I’d read plenty of her fragments before, but it was finally time to add her works to my own bookshelf (thanks Mom!).


If you’ve read any of Anne Carson’s personal works, I think you’d agree she’s a perfect person to be trusted with these translations. It’s unfortunate that so much of Sappho’s work was lost—that we are only left with the fragments. But it is that exact fact that makes Sappho’s poetry so compelling to me. How beautiful it is that all that survived were fragments, and even those small bits of something can make you feel so much. That’s exactly what Sappho does for me. She evokes such clear feeling. Some of my absolute favorites by her are as short as three words long – “You burn me” is stunning all on its own.

To read the words of someone from so very long ago who wrote about Eros (sexual or passionate love) towards women makes my head spin in the very best way. If you haven’t already had the pleasure of delving into her work, I highly recommend it. You’ll fall in love with her use of imagery and the emotion that accompanies it. So, here’s to Sappho! Thank you for laying the groundwork of this small-town lesbian’s journey into reading and writing poetry.

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Relentless Weekly – June 24, 2020

~ Jennifer @ The Relentless Reader ~ 4 Comments

We’ve arrived at another weekend. Here in Wisconsin it’ll be another steamy one. Thank goddess for air conditioning and icy cold cocktails. (Made in the safety of my own kitchen because I’m not a selfish boob who hangs out in bars during a global pandemic, thank you very much!)

Here’s what has been happening in my neck of the woods –

Eating: I baked a lovely garlic parmesan salmon last night. Tonight I’ll turn the leftovers into a crust-less salmon quiche. I’m trying to steer clear of carbs. It’s the smart thing to do when one has PCOS. Also, I ordered some sugar free caramels from Tom & Jenny’s because I love myself.

Listening: My current audiobook is Dee Brown’s Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. Reading books that challenge and inform is my jam. I’m not sure how I made it through all of my 46 years without reading this particular book. I’m remedying that now.

I’m on the hunt for a fun podcast, so if you have any recommendations drop them in the comments please!

Watching: Last Tango in Halifax is the latest British comedy/drama series to steal my heart. Hooray for Netflix!

Other Stuff: We are getting closer and closer to a lifelong dream of ours. I want to talk about it here, but I’m afraid I’ll jinx the process! Hmm, let’s just say that it rhymes with… MAKE BROPERTY?

I hope you all have a weekend to write home about. Read a lovely book, take a long walk, stay socially distant, and wear a mask!