Becoming the Villainess

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Becoming the Villainess
Becoming the Villainess.jpg
Author Jeannine Hall Gailey
Cover artistMichaela Eaves
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Poetry
PublisherSteel Toe Books
Publication date
5 March 2006
Media typePrint (Paperback)
Pages96 pp
ISBN 978-0-9743264-3-6

Becoming the Villainess is a book of poetry that was written by Jeannine Hall Gailey and published by Steel Toe Books in 2006. This collection, Gailey's first, deals primarily with issues of women and power. Subjects of individual poems in the collection range from superheroes and spy girls to characters from Greek mythology, such as Philomel and Persephone, and fairy tales, such as The Snow Queen.

Jeannine Hall Gailey is an American poet. She has published five books of poetry. Her work focuses on pop culture, science and science fiction, fairy tales, and mythology.

Superhero Type of stock character

A superhero is a type of heroic stock character, usually possessing supernatural or superhuman powers, who is dedicated to fighting the evil of their universe, protecting the public, and usually battling supervillains. A female superhero is sometimes called a superheroine, although the word superhero is also commonly used for females. Superhero fiction is the genre of fiction that is centered on such characters, especially in American comic book and films since the 1930s.

Greek mythology body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks

Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks. These stories concern the origin and the nature of the world, the lives and activities of deities, heroes, and mythological creatures, and the origins and significance of the ancient Greeks' own cult and ritual practices. Modern scholars study the myths in an attempt to shed light on the religious and political institutions of ancient Greece and its civilization, and to gain understanding of the nature of myth-making itself.

Contents

Poems from the book were featured on National Public Radio's The Writer's Almanac with Garrison Keillor and in Verse Daily and The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 2007.

NPR non-profit membership media organization

National Public Radio is an American privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization based in Washington, D.C. NPR differs from other non-profit membership media organizations, such as AP, in that it was established by an act of Congress and most of its member stations are owned by government entities. It serves as a national syndicator to a network of over 1,000 public radio stations in the United States.

The Writer's Almanac is a daily podcast and newsletter of poetry and historical interest pieces, usually of literary significance. Begun as a radio program in 1993, it is hosted by Garrison Keillor and was produced and distributed by American Public Media through November 2017. Today it is available on Keillor's website and major podcast platforms. Past program sponsors include The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry Magazine and The Mosaic Foundation of Rita and Peter Heydon.

Garrison Keillor American author, storyteller, humorist, voice actor, and radio personality

Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor is an American author, storyteller, humorist, voice actor, and radio personality. He is best known as the creator of the Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) show A Prairie Home Companion, which he hosted from 1974 to 2016. Keillor created the fictional Minnesota town Lake Wobegon, the setting of many of his books, including Lake Wobegon Days and Leaving Home: A Collection of Lake Wobegon Stories. Other creations include Guy Noir, a detective voiced by Keillor who appeared in A Prairie Home Companion comic skits. Keillor is also the creator of the five-minute daily radio/podcast program The Writer's Almanac, which pairs one or two poems of his choice with a script about important literary, historical, and scientific events that coincided with that date in history.

Becoming the Villainess has been taught in creative writing and mythology courses at several universities, including University of Akron, State University of New York at Fredonia, [1] and The University of Alabama. [2]

University of Akron public research university located in Akron, Ohio, United States

The University of Akron is a public research university in Akron, Ohio, United States. The university is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advanced materials, and engineering.

State University of New York at Fredonia

The State University of New York at Fredonia is a liberal arts college in Fredonia, New York. It is a constituent college of the State University of New York. Founded in 1826, it is the 66th oldest institute of higher education in the United States, 7th oldest college in New York, and 2nd oldest public school in New York (SUNY) after Potsdam (1816).

University of Alabama public university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States

The University of Alabama is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It is the flagship of the University of Alabama System. Established in 1820, the University of Alabama (UA) is the oldest and largest of the public universities in Alabama. The university offers programs of study in 13 academic divisions leading to bachelor's, master's, Education Specialist, and doctoral degrees. The only publicly supported law school in the state is at UA. Other academic programs unavailable elsewhere in Alabama include doctoral programs in anthropology, communication and information sciences, metallurgical engineering, music, Romance languages, and social work.

A performance art piece based on Becoming the Villainess was created by Alley Cat Players, a performance troupe from Florida. The piece was performed at both the St. Petersburg Main Library [3] and at the Selby Public Library in Sarasota, FL. [4]

Selby Public Library

The Selby Public Library was the first library in Sarasota County, Florida and was established in 1907. The current building is the largest public library in Sarasota County and serves the downtown district of Sarasota, Florida.

Poems from Becoming the Villainess were referenced in the article Poems about Superheroes written by Harvard University professor and poetry critic Stephen Burt. [5]

Harvard University private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with about 6,700 undergraduate students and about 15,250 postgraduate students. Established in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, clergyman John Harvard, Harvard is the United States' oldest institution of higher learning, and its history, influence, and wealth have made it one of the world's most prestigious universities.

Reviews

Critical reviews of Becoming the Villainess have appeared in the following literary publications: [6]

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Philomela or Philomel is a minor figure in Greek mythology and is frequently invoked as a direct and figurative symbol in literary, artistic, and musical works in the Western canon.

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References

  1. ↑ Holtan, Elizabeth (2007-10-10). "Students gain insight from poetic heavyweights" (PDF). The Leader. State University of New York at Fredonia . Retrieved 2008-05-25.[ dead link ]
  2. ↑ "Undergraduate Course Offerings—Fall 2008" (PDF). University of Alabama. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
  3. ↑ Bancroft, Colette. "Events: Alley Cat Players to present poetry-inspired Becoming the Villainess". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
  4. ↑ Rozen, Joel. "Cats bring a blend of artistic styles". Sarasota Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
  5. ↑ Burt, Stephen (2009). "Poems about Superheroes". Michigan Quarterly Review. Archived from the original on 2 January 2010. Retrieved 2009-12-15.
  6. ↑ "Reviews of Becoming the Villainess". Steel Toe Books. Archived from the original on 2008-05-13. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
  7. ↑ Frischkorn, Suzanne (2006). "Becoming the Villainess, by Jeannine Hall Gailey, Steel Toe Books, 2006, $12.00". Diner. 6. She skillfully disarms us with her dark humor…and then goes to hit us with hard and heartbreaking truths.
  8. ↑ Krosinsky, Sari (January 2007). "Review of Jeannine Hall Gailey's Becoming the Villainess". Fickle Muses. Archived from the original on 13 May 2008. Retrieved 25 May 2008. In her debut poetry collection, Gailey recreates myths from Persephone to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, examining the victim/villain casting of mythic women with wit, grace and insight.
  9. ↑ Zeller, Maya Jewell. "Review: Becoming the Villainess". LitList. Archived from the original on 2008-04-03. Retrieved 2008-05-26. Yet under the humor is a deep social critique, a study of gender expectations, and an aching loneliness in each persona that develops an emotional resonance that reaches the reader in a very personal way.
  10. ↑ Biddinger, Mary (July 2006). "Small Press Bookwatch: The Poetry Shelf". The Midwest Book Review. 5 (7). Archived from the original on 15 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-26. Addressing the archetypes of myth, from modern pop culture to Ovid to Grimm's fairy tales, Gailey weaves words expressing the hearts of shunned, reviled, justly and unjustly treated villainesses and female victims of fable. A dramatic, moving collection; each poem has a gripping personal story to tell.
  11. ↑ Owens, James. "Jeannine Hall Gailey's Becoming the Villainess…reviewed by James Owens". The Pedestal Magazine. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2008-05-26.
  12. ↑ Richards, Moira. "RATTLE e-Review: BECOMING THE VILLAINESS by Jeannine Hall Gailey". Rattle. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-26. Jeannine Hall Gailey fills her book, Becoming the Villainess, with women—real women, fictional women, mythical women and comic book superwomen who of course, are often real women too.
  13. ↑ Moni, Natasha Kochicheril (Winter 2006). "Becoming the Villainess by Jeannine Hall Gailey". Rattle. 12 (26). Gailey favors the narrative, each poem a story recounted with flair. She doesn't veer from difficult matters; in fact, her work exhibits it, visiting violence so often it earns its title with passion and often a dark sense of humor.
  14. ↑ Lockward, Diane (April 2007). "A Pajama Party for Feminists". Review Revue. 4 (1): 18–19. Jeannine Hall Gailey’s Becoming the Villainess is the poetic equivalent of a pajama party for feminists. Gossip, secrets, and advice are exchanged, along with lots of talk about guys. The party list brings together an eclectic, sometimes dangerous, but always exciting mix of female characters drawn from diverse sources.
  15. ↑ Biddinger, Mary (2007). "Rhino Reads: Becoming the Villainess". Rhino: 157–158. While some poets might limit their audience by including characters as diverse as Leda, Philomel, and Wonder Woman, the poems in this book witness the universal, as even the legendary Ophelia is told to, “Stop crouching in shadows, chewing your hair.” Many of the characters in Becoming the Villainess are archetypal, yet in the world of the book they are as real as a next-door neighbor, and far more interesting.


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