Let's Have Some Girl Power!

Continuing the trend of Female Poets this week, I want to highlight one of the most inspirational, female empowered, young adult authors that I've read: Francesca Lia Block!  There are many many amazing female authors out there who exude women power, but Block, I think, does it best.

Francesca Lia Block is the author of 32 books, a mix of verse and prose.  She often mixes styles, and is known for her imagery and the use of magical realism.  Block's most popular books to date are the Dangerous Angels series, which includes Weetzie Bat, Witch Baby, Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys, Missing Angel Juan, Baby Be-Bop, Necklace of Kisses, and Pink Smog.  She has also won the Margaret A. Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award and the Phoenix Award.  Check out her website to learn more!

This is one of my favorite poems from her collection, How to (Un)Cage a Girl.  Below is also a video of Block reading from the collection.   I hope you enjoy!

l.a. bacchantes

yxta and francesca decided to start a clique

for frail but surprisingly strong fairies who had lost

      their way above ground 

for burned mermaids and sock vampire girls

for wild wolfish women with sharp teeth and leaves

      in their hair

for women who had been raped

and women who had never been touched

for women who had been devoured limbs eaten

and women who had sucked the blood

      of their passive mates

for ladies who had at one time or another considered

      themselves hideous monsters

and who had at other times blinded their lovers

      with goddess glory

for smart hungry sad creatures who disguised

      themselves as women

and wept in secret because they did not look

      like supermodels

for loud lascivious funny femme fatales

who wanted to eat flowers and whipped cream

and dance on the tables

smash things and wear pieces of the chandelier

      for jewelry

fack satyrs and lick dark chocolate off'

      each other's bodies

be worshipped online and flirted with

      at parties and glimpsed 

in the pages of vanity fair in an article entitled

      "l.a. bacchantes"

but mostly just needed each other

yxta and francesca had always desired world peace

      and profound romance

but this clique wish seemed somewhat selfish maybe

      superficial and greedy

they did not yet know how significant it was

no different really from the peace and love

      they had been born wanting

and perhaps would change not only themselves but

the world 

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