Oppression
Published on 21. April 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
88 pages
978-1-971191-00-3 (ISBN)
Description
The central theme of Oppression is war and the innate cruelty of humanity, especially as seen through WWII's lingering, intergenerational impacts on ancestral figures portrayed in these poems. Patriarchal dominance as it influences domestic life emerges prominently in "You Watch" and "Arguments of the Dead." Women's issues begin the collection with "Two of Every" and are further developed through mythological allusions to Penelope, Demeter, and Persephone. Organic imagery-birds, horses, rabbits, chickweed, crabapples-thread Oppression's five-part structure, and move the reader from domesticity through the immigrant experience, woundedness, and music. While this work is dark, it is hopeful, as if to spite the cynical personas who inhabit the poems.
More details
Language
English
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 5 mm
Weight
142 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-971191-00-3 (9781971191003)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Judith Skillman holds a Masters in English Literature from the University of Maryland and has done graduate work in Comparative Literature at the University of Washington. Her "how to," Broken Lines-The Art & Craft of Poetry is available from Lummox Press. Work has appeared in Cimarron Review, Commonweal, Threepenny Review, Zyzzyva, and other literary journals. Skillman is the recipient of awards from the Academy of American Poets, Artist Trust, Washington State Arts Commission, and Floating Bridge Press. She collaborated on translations of Macedonian poet Jovica Eternijan and French-Belgian poet Anne Marie Derèse. Skillman is also a visual artist who works in oil on board and canvas. Her paintings have been featured in Artemis, Penn Review, Southern Quill, Thin Air Magazine, and elsewhere. www.judithskillman.com