6 Book Recommendations for International Women's Day

In honor of March 8, International Women’s Day, and Women’s History Month, I am sharing 5 works that I have been involved in. These are all works that honor the writing of women and their struggles in some way.

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“Songs of Our Sisters” was published by Bon Tindle and Blue Cat Publishing in 2014. “Songs of Our Sisters is a book of poetry written for women by women. Advice, wisdom, life lessons and observations from multiple perspectives builds a journey for women to feel seen and heard, and appreciate the paths that other women walk through life. Enjoy the works of celebrated poets and first-time authors, and women of all ages and backgrounds.”

5 of my poems are featured in this book. It is available here:

 

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“Synonyms for Living” was published by Skye Price.

“Synonyms for Living is a poetry anthology formed by a community of empowered writers from across the globe. Each and every voice in the collection has found the strength to explore their resilience and growth, whether they personally relate with the project or are allies of the cause.

The collection was designed to give poets a space to reflect on the challenges they have overcome as survivors of abuse (domestic, sexual, or otherwise), and offers a chance to feel seen and heard. It is equally a space for poets who empathise, and who wish to inspire and celebrate the emotions which we allow ourselves to feel.

All profits from this collection will go directly to Black Country Women's Aid, a charity who are passionate about offering resources and guidance to survivors, or to their family and friends, so that they can reignite their sparks and find the array of synonyms for living in their own lives.”

One of my poems is featured in this book, and I also translated poems of seven Guatemalan women poets into English so their voices could be included. This was one of the first efforts of its kind for women of our country. You can get the book here.

We personally did 14 events around this publication for Guatemala and the international community- lectures, readings, SA  and EA workshops, radio programs, and publications. The materials we designed for the public speaking events and workshops are available to anyone who would like to design an event around these themes.

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“If In a Poem I Left You Wanting” is my own 8^th published book of stand-alone poetry. “This book of bilingual poetry, written in English and Spanish, was created between 2021 and 2023. Marie is an international development specialist and renaissance woman, and she brings her observations into poetry that, as her writer and scientist friend Francisco says, "I see you in every poem, I feel you in each verse. I feel the litle girl that you carry inside you and the woman who is a fighter, the incomprehension with the present and the profund love you always carry." This book is divided into two halves. The first half is dedicated to personal reflections, on empowerment, rising out of depression, love, facing down enemies, and family. The second half is dedicated to social justice themed poetry, inspired by work, readings, travels, interviews, etc. This half touches on popular culture, climate justice, loss of freedoms, a woman's place in the world, the world we are creating for the next generation.

Marie is an artist, and painted the book cover as well as designed several deocrative word clouds for the interior. This book,even more than many previous tomes, was a labor of love for the writer. All works have been hand translated into both English and Spanish.”

The book can be purchased here: and I have a few copies in Guatemala.

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“Observations for a World on Fire.”  This is my ninth stand-alone bilingual book of poetry. “International bilingual climate scientist and poet Marie Anzalone brings 20 years of insights from the field. She offers a work dedicated to human responsibility, grief, losses, and hopes, related to the climate crisis in this her newest book.

"I wrote “Observations” in July, 2024 after a profound spiritual and existential crisis, after having had my creative voice silenced several different ways since 2016. I wrote it as an entry for a literary contest in our city (spoiler: it did not win). I had decided in 2012 to dedicate my life to studying climate change; and the world has not always been kind to that decision. My climate research was prevented from being published, by a former partner who literally hid my research notes until it was too late. I was prevented by the US government from discussing my findings while employed by them. I was then fired by them for standing up to the incoming conservative power grab on issues of climate adaptation and its link to democracy. Since 2016, I have been grassroots and self-funded.

People still operate under the mistaken belief that climate change is an “environmental” issue. Our work is dismissed by literary circles as antiquated if we discuss species loss, biodiversity, the human-natural world connection. Even if we talk about the astonishing recent findings of natural scientists- how trees run an above and below ground internet. How insects perceive the world in infrared light and birds can feel the geomagnetic pulse of the earth. We are tree huggers at best, out of touch at worst. Which makes me ponder so many things. People who live closest to the land, caring for large carbon stocks and natural resources, are contributing the least to the climate crisis and suffering the most effects. Precisely because, I think, we have our sense of place. It is out of fashion to carry a sense of wonder, curiosity, dare I say joy- into the world....

When I walk in the forest and think of trees, the forest remains an abstract concept, a museum I visit, a foreign land I take on a guided tour with a bunch of facts I will not remember. When I take the time to learn the names of the trees and birds; I am now walking among the oaks, listening to the golden warblers, watching a cloud of fritillary butterflies whirl upward from a stream studded with mica and schist. Now I am no longer in a museum seeing works from behind glass, behind a barrier; now, I am drinking a warm cup of tea on a summer afternoon with an old and cherished friend. The 250 year old oak harboring life and living and breathing to the pulsing heart of the earth, with memories and dreams of human interdependence, suddenly becomes a cause of urgent importance. It is no longer just some tree...

I wrote this book in defiance of everyone who says, nature poetry, love poetry, is no longer relevant. I want to live in a world of real intelligence alongside artificial intelligence. I want the DJTs of the world to fail while there is still a chance that not every sacred thing will be bought and sold. I want to remind the world, we live in a society, not an economy. I want us to remember, human well-being is tied to the health of our soil, water, air, food, fellow species."

You can purchase my book here:

 

“Born and Razed: Surviving the Cult Was Only Half the Battle,” was written by Beth Granger.

“Thousands have read the headlines. Few know the inside story.

What happens when religion and power collide in the wrong hands? At Grenville Christian College, once one of Canada’s most prestigious private religious schools, the result was thousands of broken lives.

Born and Razed recounts the author's gripping and deeply personal journey. Beth's life began at Grenville, where her parents were teachers. The picturesque campus on the banks of the St. Lawrence River masked a dark reality: behind its idyllic facade lay a world of strict control, religious zealotry, and emotional abuse.

Beth was the first baby born at Grenville, but her childhood was far from blessed. When the Mothers, founders of the Benedictine-inspired Community of Jesus in Cape Cod, brought their rigid and punitive vision to the school, life took a devastating turn. For Beth, “repentance” came with public humiliation, relentless criticism, and separation from her family. By age five, she was living apart from her parents, accused of gluttony, and placed on restrictive diets�"laying the foundation for a lifelong battle with eating disorders, low self-esteem, and mental health struggles.

Throughout her adolescence, Beth endured emotional torment under the guise of religious instruction. Attempts to seek help were met with harsh judgment, not compassion. Like her family, she was tightly bound by cult-like indoctrination, isolated, and forced to endure the unendurable.

Yet, even in the face of such profound trauma, Beth found the strength to fight back. Her path to freedom began with an act of quiet rebellion�"admitting the truth about the institution she had been conditioned to revere. That truth set her on a journey of healing, activism, and justice.

As Beth uncovered the stories of others who suffered at Grenville, her voice became a rallying cry. She played a key role in one of the largest class-action lawsuits in Canadian history, proving that collective resilience can triumph over systemic abuse.

Born and Razed is a powerful memoir of survival, courage, and the long road to recovery. It’s a testament to the human spirit’s ability to overcome unimaginable challenges and rebuild a life from the ashes of the past. For anyone who has ever struggled under impossible expectations or been silenced by authority, Beth’s story offers both a cautionary tale and a beacon of hope.

With unflinching honesty and poignant detail, Born and Razed will leave you moved, inspired, and reminded that healing�"even after the deepest scars�"is possible.”

I was honored to have been an editor on this work. It can be purchased here:

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56 Altares: Filos y Espejos:  is a book written in Spanish.

“A compilation of poetry and short stories by 57 writers who speak out about the fire at the Virgen de la Asunción Safe Home on March 8, 2017, which affected 56 girls and their families, where 41 of them lost their lives due to negligence by the State of Guatemala.

This book brings together 36 Guatemalan poets and storytellers and 21 international guests, with a presence on almost all continents, who express their repudiation of the persistent injustice after 5 years of the tragedy.”

I was one of the international writers invited to be part of this extraordinary collection. I have copies for sale here in Guatemala, and US copies can be obtained by contacting Mari Herr.

 

 

 

Author's Note

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