Six Girls without Pants

by Paisley Rekdal

A collection of poetry by Paisley Rekdal.

Genres: Poetry, Feminism, Adult, Fiction

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Rekdal grew up in Seattle, Washington, the daughter of a Chinese American mother and a Norwegian father. She earned a BA from the University of Washington, an MA from the University of Toronto Centre for Medieval Studies, and an MFA from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She is the author of the poetry collections A Crash of Rhinos (2000), Six Girls Without Pants (2002), and The Invention of the Kaleidoscope (2007) as well as the book of essays The Night My Mother Met Bruce Lee: Observations on Not Fitting In (2000).

In reviewing The Invention of the Kaleidoscope for Barn Owl Review, Jay Robinson observed that it’s “the razor’s edge that always accompanies eros that makes the poems of Paisley Rekdal fresh, intense and ultimately irresistible.” Rekdal’s work grapples with issues of race, sexuality, myth, and identity while often referencing contemporary culture.

Rekdal has been honored with a National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship, a Pushcart Prize, a Village Voice Writers on the Verge Award, and a Fulbright Fellowship to South Korea. Her work has been included in numerous anthologies, including Legitimate Dangers: American Poets of the New Century (2006) and the 2010 Pushcart Prize Anthology.

Rekdal teaches at the University of Utah.

Reviews

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually don't particularly like it when books of poems are named after individual poems. It grates on my nerves, as I think it unduly emphasizes that particular poem. So there's that. I think there are plenty of other titles she could have used that would have been better, would have represented the collection better. I like "Six Girls Without Pants" the poem, but it didn't represent the entire book properly.

That being said, I actually really love this book. I really loved all the poetry in it, especially the last part. The short subset collection of poems about the Greek myth of Hippomenes and Atalanta just because it's very interesting, especially the form a lot of those poems take. Her diction is wonderful, and the way she words things exquisite.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

When books of poems are named after an individual poem, I expect that individual poem to be super awesome. I thought there were lots of good poems in here, but "Six Girls" was one of my least fave. Overall, I think this holds together well as a book, and in general I liked most of it... however I often found myself thinking that I'd rather be left wanting MORE, not LESS (I love the poem "Parable," for instance, but it goes about 6 lines beyond itself). (Of course, it's possible that I'm just short on attention span.)

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The source of the river, / not its oceangrasp. (5)

the prismatic // time of men (21)

walking at night, lips and eyes iridescent / as flies' wings (23)

[I] think of how my breast has attached itself // to me, its fatty mouth suctioned to my heart, the nipple / where the rest of the animal / has broken off, it slender neck / burnished, over time, into wound. (24)

I passed myself like bracelets to an army / of suitors who shared my skin for a pelt (42)

the way air is memorized by lungs (46)

[Karen]

Books Every Badass Woman Should Read

Six Girls Without Pants is a collection of contemporary poetry about women’s expectations, desires, and sexuality. The poems are strong and direct, and Rekdalís’ voice is subtle yet demanding. Each of her poems is born from an obvious desire to speak out and make herself heard, and her powerful way with words ensures that we listen.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I haven't read all, or even most, of the poems in this book. Their meaning is largely lost on me. I might try again at a later point of time.