My Women, My Monsters

My Women, My Monsters, Janet Kozachek's lavishly illustrated poetry chapbook conjures monsters of the feminine kind for a post modern world. There are monsters who would be goddesses of power and grandeur if not for their mistaken identities. There are monsters who are quiet and others who are wild. Some are half insect, half human. Others sport chicken legs and lay eggs. Still others are enigmatic figures of the earth and skies. Many are archetypes of personalities, rendered as exotic yet familiar. Through poetry and art, Kozachek gives form and voice to fears, anger and awe that most everyone may recognize, regardless of gender. The author mines her rich history of studies and travels throughout Europe, the United States and Asia to bring home a treasury of both handsome and horrifying women - all in classic black and white linear designs with rich detailed patterns with a tapestry of words to match. These poems words and illustrations were created with an eye for detail, a mind for feminine complexities, and a heart for adventure. My Women, My Monsters, published by Finishing Line Press, previously won an Honorable Mention from Concrete Wolf for its witty verse completed and complimented by elaborately detailed black and white drawings. Exhibitions of the poetry and illustrations have been presented at the I.P. Stanback Museum of South Carolina State University with A Gaze Upon Woman: The Drawings of Janet Kozachek, and at Stormwater Studios in Columbia, South Carolina.