SWWIM sustains and celebrates women poets by connecting creatives across generations and by curating a living archive of contemporary poetry, while solidifying Miami as a nexus for the literary arts.
Although they are grown, the children have remained. The world outside our door a new kind of ruin, not ready for them yet. And it’s easier to stand sentinel when they are nearby, still within reach, even if that’s an illusion.
You might notice a flickering from this heart and it’s not from a lack of fire or constancy. It’s just that we’ve been without power here since one of the latest electrical storms rolled through. I’m hooked up to a generator which creates noise and smoke.
There isn’t a lot of fuel and we had to make hard choices. The food in the fridge and freezer spoiled, but there are cans and an opener, unruly plants in the garden. No computers or fans, of course. Just enough to keep this relic of a muscle going. It churns out enough wattage for daily love and reassurance, as well as a small reckoning on the page, nothing more.
Dagne Forrest's poetry has appeared in journals in Canada, the US, Australia, and the UK. In 2021 she was one of 15 poets featured in The League of Canadian Poets’ annual Poem in Your Pocket campaign, had a poem shortlisted for the UK's Bridport Prize, and won first prize in the Hammond House Publishing International Literary Prize (Poetry). Her creative nonfiction has appeared or is forthcoming in Lake Effect, Paper Dragon, and Sky Island Journal.
