The Wardrobe's Best Dressed: We Will Not Be Silenced edited by Christine E. Ray, Kindra M. Austin, Candice & Louisa Daquin Rachel Finch

TW: Rape

Slap

Betty Albright

He said he liked

the way I walked,

sang Dean Martin

with his motorcycle cocked

till I went with him

to Sehome Hill

and he stopped being Dean

and the meadow grew thorns

as he twisted my slap

grinding into the shock

knowing I’d never tell,

for back then women blamed themselves

This selection comes from the book, We Will Not Be Silenced, available from Indie Blu(e). Purchase your copy here! Our curator for this selection is Nilsa Rivera .

We Will Not Be Silenced: The Lived Experience of Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Told Powerfully Through Poetry, Prose, Essay, and Art is the brainchild of Kindra M. Austin, Candice Louisa Daquin, Rachel Finch, and Christine E. Ray. The four indie writers and survivors felt compelled to organize a response after wide-spread, highly publicized cases of rape, sexual harassment, and misconduct. They chose to advocate, educate, and resist through art. The editors opened submissions for just two weeks to women and men around the world. The response from writers and artists was overwhelming: the final anthology includes 166 pieces of writing and art from 95 contributors around the globe.