Menu
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • About Annie
    • How to Read FAQ
    • Interviews
    • Press Kit
      • Testimonials
      • Press Kit
  • BOOKS
    • Getting-Started Guide for Annie’s Books
    • The Poetry Witch Little Book of Spells
    • Spells: New and Selected Poems
    • Among the Goddesses
    • Calendars
    • Eve
    • The Encyclopedia of Scotland
    • A Poet’s Craft
    • A Poet’s Ear
    • The Body of Poetry
    • The Ghost of Meter
    • Best Books for Poets
    • Edited Anthologies
  • POETRY
    • Note on Reading These Poems Aloud
    • Spiral of Annie’s Poems
      • Brave Women’s Amulet
      • Moon for Our Daughters
      • Walk With Me
      • On Poetry and Architecture
      • “The Naming”: Memorial Poem for 9-11
      • Keys
      • A Wedding on Earth
      • Spells for the Wheel of the Year
      • Summer Solstice Chant
    • Listen to Poems
    • Essays on Poetry
      • What is Poetry?
      • How to Create a Poetic Tradition
      • More Essays on Poetry
    • Stuff for Poets
      • A Blessing on the Poets
      • Best Books for Poets
      • 60 Places to Publish Formal Poetry
      • How to Edit an Anthology
    • Collaborations
    • Translation
    • Commissions
    • Poems by my Mother Maggie Finch
  • CHOICE
    • Choice Words: Writers on Abortion
    • Among the Goddesses Epic Libretto
    • Visit Choice Words Action
    • Download Choice Words Toolkit
  • WITCHERY
    • “Are You a Good Witch …or a Bad Witch?”
    • Rituals
    • Chants
    • Poetry Witch Ritual Theater
    • The Magic of Rhythmically Writing
    • Healing Rituals
    • Witchy Workshops
    • Women, Poetry, and Spirituality
  • EVENTS
    • Upcoming Appearances
    • Previous Events
    • Poetry Performance
    • Theater Performances
  • TEACHING
    • Upcoming Classes
    • Best Books for Poets
    • Private Consultations
  • COMMUNITY
    • Poetry Witch Community
    • Support Annie’s Work on Patreon
  • CONNECT
    • Bookings
    • Contact Annie
    • Subscribe to Newsletter
    • Online Visit
    • Shopping Cart
  • BLOG

Annie Finch

  • NEWS
  • CALENDAR OF CLASSES
  • SEARCH SITE
  • SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER
  • BOOKSHOP

The Countess-Poet and the Blogger-Poet

The new Alhambra Poetry Calendar is out, and Glen pointed out this morning that my remote ancestor Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea, and I are both included.  This is, as far as I know, the first time we’ve ever appeared in an anthology together.  I feel she is smiling on me.  I feel it like a warmth over my shoulder, near my left ear.

I had kept my distance from the Countess for many years, and then on a recent Halloweeen I felt compelled to absorb her into myself–specifically by dressing as her for a Halloween party.  Squeezing into a Countess-like bodice and spending an evening dressed in even a barbaric approximation of her style brought her close, carried me through another layer in the complex journey of self-acceptance that increasingly, I find, stretches through generations.  How better to appreciate the Countess’s poem in this year’s Calendar, a dialogue of friendship between two women with Classical names. Here I am en habille, clutching her poems. .

.AF as countess

Weathering the Work of Change: Marginalization in Popular Culture and Poetry
On Selecting a Selected Poems
Share this content instantly via the share buttons. Thanks for spreading the word!

Leave a Comment Categories: East: Poetry & Prosody, All

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • BOOKS
  • POETRY
  • CHOICE
  • WITCHERY
  • EVENTS
  • TEACHING
  • COMMUNITY
  • CONNECT
  • BLOG

Copyright © 2021 · SITE DESIGN BY LSC STUDIO

Copyright © 2021 · Style Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Close