I recently had the opportunity to sit down with award-winning author, editor, and short-film director Lindy Ryan, co-editor of the upcoming women-in-horror poetry showcase UNDER HER SKIN. The first in a series of annual poetry showcases, UNDER HER SKIN celebrates women-in-horror with contributions from women and femmes as well as a foreword by Science Fiction Poetry Association Grand Master and recipient of the Horror Writers Association Lifetime Achievement award, Linda D. Addison. Whimsical illustrations by HWA Lifetime Achievement award-winner Marge Simon are sprinkled throughout the collection’s interior, providing a feminine tone as well as insight into the chilling poems and the cover art was done by noted horror artist Lynne Hansen.
Hi Lindy! Thank you for taking the time to chat with me today about UNDER HER SKIN. I’d like to start this Q&A by asking you to give readers an overview of this anthology and what they might expect.
Thank you for having me! Under Her Skin features the best in never-before-published dark verse and lyrical prose from the voices of women-in-horror. As a showcase series, the first collection centers on the concept of body horror, and features work from Bram-Stoker Award®-winning and nominated authors, as well as dozens of poems from women (cis and trans) and non-binary femmes around the world.
Why do you believe it is important to celebrate women in horror not only through this anthology, but in general?
Horror has seen such an incredible resurgence—new voices, new stories, and an uprising of fiercely female horror. When we had the idea to produce a horror poetry showcase, we wanted to build a collection that spoke in an intimate way toward the same. This is something particularly close to my heart, so I was proud to co-edit this inaugural collection. Toni Miller (a founding member of the Ladies of Horror Fiction) joined in to help build a phenomenal collection of voices from contributors who identify both as women and with the female experience.
There are several themes within UNDER HER SKIN that focus on the struggles that women face on a daily basis. Pregnancy, self-image, workplace representation, and relationships are some of the important topics discussed in the anthology. Why is it so important for readers to see this side of the divine feminine and what it means to be a woman?
Body horror is an innate part of the female experience—from the subtle to the obvious—and women have a lifelong relationship with the subject. Thus, we wanted to explore such resonant themes in this collection, not to exclude anyone, but to embrace and share those experiences in a meaningful way. Two-time Bram Stoker Award®-winning poet Christina Sng really narrowed in on the heart of the collection in her review, so I’ll quote her words: “Powerful and visceral, the poems in Under Her Skin scream of the brutal realities women endure.”
It’s right there in that one word: brutal. While not every woman experiences every reality described in these poems, every woman has certainly experienced their share—probably more than, I’m sure. There is a fearlessness in this collection, a willingness of these women to bare themselves to the page. It’s absolutely breathtaking.
Are there any poems that stick out to you in the anthology that readers should pay attention to?
Oh goodness, that’s such a difficult question! Poetry is such a potent art form, and so deeply personal—it cuts straight to the quick and gives us a mirror to experience intimate topics in a raw, unfiltered way. Some of the pieces in the collection are short, some are long, some are narrative, some are verse—all are powerful. One reviewer described Under Her Skin as “a nice little sip of arsenic after bouts of flowered tea,” and that may be the most apt way of describing this collection I’ve heard thus far.
It’s impossible to play favorites with the pieces in this collection, but perhaps my personal favorites might be “Snakeskin” by Stephanie M. Wytovich, “When the Witches Came Out of Us” by Donna Lynch, and “Religion for Women” by Patricia Gomes. Those three were particularly resonant to me, but I know that others will be equally as powerful to their audience—which is half the fun of an anthology, really, finding those special, personal pieces.
What’s next—will there be another women-in-horror poetry showcase?
We’re already hard at work on our second women-in-horror poetry showcase, which will be themed on domestic horror. Bram Stoker Award®-winner and all around delightful human Lee Murray will join me as editor on the second showcase, and we’re partnering with The Pixel Project to donate a portion of proceeds to help end violence against women. We’ll be opening the call for submissions soon, and plan to release the second showcase in November 2023 in alignment with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Lastly, what is your message to women around the world who may be struggling with the same things depicted in the poems in UNDER HER SKIN?
Here I’d like to add on to another review, this one from Bram Stoker Award® nominee Angela Yuriko Smith, who said, “Raw and authentic, these poems bleed agony…but there is no defeat here. This isn’t the poetry of victims asking for mercy. Rather they face the world, naked and unapologetic. They don’t request acceptance. They forge their own place where they are perfect as they are, every scar an accolade. These are poems of blood and sinew, knitting our parts together in pain, the burdens placed upon our shoulders hefted and thrown back.” After all, Under Her Skin isn’t a collection about pain and suffering and tragedy. It’s a collection of perseverance and of triumph. We invite readers who see their own struggles reflected in these poems to find solidarity with this collection, and to discover their strength as they begin to see their bodies as beautiful, as worthy, and as powerful.
Thank you, Lindy, for taking the time to chat with me today and look for UNDER HER SKIN, available in e-book and paperback now.
