I debated about using the tag feminism to describe this work, but after reviewing the section titles [Mythos, Identity, Gender and the body, Relationships, Self in the World], it seems right. One hundred eighteen women are represented here, each with a single piece of writing, so it's a book to dip into rather than read straight through, as if you were going from group to group at a party where everyone is fascinating. Unfortunately, I am not one of those 118 women, because I neglected to submit when the call came. Another statistic: 34 of the women published here have read at Next Year's Words, the series I host, all of them glorious in person as well. This book is testimony: the Hudson Valley nourishes creativity like fresh food. ( )