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You Can Make Your Own Rose by Andrea Nicki is a collection of poems infused with the spirit of feminist sensibility, social justice and activism. The poems don’t offer mere therapeutic comfort even when depicting shamanic-inspired healing rituals and magical encounters. They are trauma-free in the sense that Nicki doesn’t ask for our sympathy nor wishes to simply share traumatic memories. On the contrary, she utilizes somewhat analytic and educational language, interlaced with subtle picturesque, lyrical details alongside severe social critique, to depict the emotional, intellectual, and social landscape of her reflections on incest and other gender-related forms of abuse. In addition, Nicki brings to our attention the images, colors, tastes and trapped feelings of the often neglected and harsh realities of (primarily women) adjunct professors. These are the poverty-stricken women, who are stuck and oppressed within an academic hierarchy that devalues their accumulated knowledge and often prolonged educational and social contribution. The poems, thus, summon us to join her inquiry, think carefully with her, and especially encourage us to resist compliance to personal and social injustice in our daily life, wherever we are in the world. They remind us that for women poetic expression is a sacred rite, not a luxury, but a necessity akin to a survival kit. As such, the poems will leave you with a bittersweet zest to bravely and wisely tackle any challenges that may hinder or call you. Educators and researchers would find the poems and their themes useful as a creative and well-informed resource book.
By Dr Lila Moore, Cybernetic Futures Institute, London, UK
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