Poet Rena Priest Reads from Patriarchy Blues

Patriarchy is a system in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it.

In different cultures and during different times, patriarchy takes on different forms, and in today’s #MeToo era, poet Rena Priest’s recent chapbook, Patriarchy Blues, seems especially timely. Sure, the number of women in the workforce is at an all-time high, labor markets have smaller wages gaps and more couples equally share household chores; however, a clear gender divide continues to perpetuate itself in modern society. In Priest’s collection, she brings an unapologetic acumen to some of our most ingrained cultural situations. Her poems, which are not always comfortable, are set against a lyrical, accessible backdrop, and the result is a provocative contemporary critique that will reframe perceptions and the way we see the world.

Priest holds an MFA in writing from Sarah Lawrence College and has taught courses at Western Washington University, Fairhaven College and Northwest Indian College. In addition to poetry, she writes fiction and creative non-fiction. The author will read from her new collection, Patriarchy Blues, at Woodland Pattern Book Center at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 2.