by Erin Day
The term “hysteria” can trace its rather curious roots back to the ancient Greeks. Often attributed to Hippocrates, “hysteria” began its journey to the modern English lexicon as a term used to describe the movements of a woman’s uterus as it flew about her body, causing disease and driving her wild. A fun fact. While it is now clear that the female womb remains stationary, the idea of the wild or “bad girl” still remains an alluring taboo in our society. Grabbing misbehavior by the horns, Louisville poet Sarah Gorham explores the risky business of being a Bad Daughter. Unleash your wild side with her at Carmichael’s Bookstore, tonight at 7pm.
Sarah Gorham is the founder of the Louisville-based publishing house, Sarabande Books, a heavy player in Louisville’s literary scene. But Gorham’s talent is not limited to behind-the-scenes when it comes to the world of books. A forceful writer, Gorham is the author of four collections of poetry, including The Cure, awarding-winning The Tension Zone and Don’t Go Back to Sleep. Her work has been featured in numerous publications such as Best American Poetry, The Nation, Antaeus, American Poetry Review, The Gettysburg Review, Grand Street, DoubleTake, The Paris Review, The Kenyon Review, Ohio Review, Georgia Review, Southern Review, Missouri Review, Ploughshares, and Poetry Northwest. Gorham is a well-lauded poet, with awards including the Carolyn Kizer Award, the Gertrude Claytor Prize from the Poetry Society of America and the Prairie Schooner Reader’s Choice Award, among many other fellowships and grants. Her latest poetry release, Bad Daughter, has been hailed by both critics and fellow poets alike.
Characterized by a combination of several lyrical forms – “mortality tales”, ironic prayers, sonnets and meditations – Bad Daughter surveys concepts such as envy, detachment and immorality in the lives of “bad” women and the sense of self forged in the ruckus. Described by fellow poet, Linda Gregerson, as “the book of a poet writing at the height of her powers and confidence”, Bad Daughter delves into the generations of bad daughters, sisters and their mothers and the powerful force of being female.
Get in touch with your inner demons and head out to Carmichaels’ Frankfort Avenue location to hear selections from Bad Daughter. Gorham will be on hand reading her work, and be available for signatures starting at 7pm. Bad Daughter can be purchased in paperback at Carmichael’s for $15.95. Check your hysterics at the door (it’s good to keep the uterus in place) and embrace your bad side for an evening.
Carmichael’s Bookstore has two area locations 1295 Bardstown Road and 2720 Frankfort Avenue
