We’re reaching the end of Women’s History Month, a month where women are celebrated and remembered for their achievements, their contributions and the sacrifices they made in order to make the world a better place for those that came after them. Throughout history, women have contributed enormously to literature, art and culture, even in time periods where these professions were seen as largely unsuitable for women and dominated by men. 

That is not to say this stopped women. If anything, it made their work all the more important. History is told largely from a male perspective, with little room for the collective voice of women who heard, saw and felt the effects of events, both large and small. Though International Poetry Day has been and gone (21st March), it’s always a great time to remember the many female poets whose poems provide heartfelt insights into everyday struggles, battles and emotions. 

Below are twelve poems, all by female writers, all spanning a wide range of periods and years. While they are unconnected and unrelated, they are all linked in their common themes and importance. I have done my best to choose diverse pieces that include lesser-known poems.  

Memory Sack by Joy Harjo | Poetry Foundation

Elegy Falling Forward & Down by Iliana Rocha | Poetry Magazine

Portrait of My Gender as [Inaudible] by Meg Day | Poetry Magazine

Spellcaster by Jeannine Hall Gailey | Poetry Magazine

Stamps by Kristen Tracy | Poetry Foundation

Among Women by Marie Ponsot | Poetry Magazine

That Country by Grace Paley | Poetry Foundation

My mother’s body by Marge Piercy | Poetry Foundation

A Woman Speaks by Audre Lorde | Poetry Foundation

They shut me up in Prose – (445) by Emily Dickinson | Poetry Foundation

Poem about My Rights by June Jordan | Poetry Foundation

won’t you celebrate with me by Lucille Clifton | Poetry Foundation

Women’s History Month is a month for all women everywhere. It is not selective, nor should it ever be discriminatory. Rather, it is a month for us all to reflect on how the women who came before us helped to shape and better the world we live in today.

Have you got a favourite poem for Women’s History Month? Why not share it with us?

by Holly Steventon, SGO Project Officer