Zaftig : : Poems

Locations
Call Number: 811.6 Ra, Adult Book / Nonfiction / Literary Arts / Plays & Poetry / Raynor, Molly
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch, Pittsfield Branch, Traverwood Branch, Westgate Branch

In her exceptional debut collection of poems, Molly Raynor welcomes you to sit at the table with her ancestors, mothers, sisters, friends, and wild women as she glues together moving memories of waxy-lipped kisses and potato peel dresses. Ghosts of the old country, lost loves, and the unborn haunt Zaftig. Raynor’s poems are imbued with deep Judaic traditions and a sprinkle of Yiddish. They burst forth with sensuality, survival, and the push-pull of women’s bodies as coveted flesh. Braiding together words like bread to lay on the table in honor of the beauty & the terror of living, these poems breathe new life. Inspired by the past, but firmly planted in the present, Zaftig joyfully takes up space like the powerful women who fill Raynor’s heart and words.
Molly Zipora Pershin Feigele Raynor (she/her/hers) is a poet, educator, community builder and momma to Malachi Moon. Her poetry has been featured on NPR and published in several literary magazines including Vinyl, The Rumpus, Porkbelly Press and Split Lip Magazine. Molly co-founded "RAW Talent" with Donte Clark, now the RYSE Center's Performing Arts Program, which serves youth in Richmond, California. Her work is highlighted in the documentary film, "Romeo Is Bleeding" which was on Netflix. Molly won a Jefferson Award for Public Serive and a Teachers4SocialJustice Award for her work in the Bay Area. In 2017, Molly moved home to Michigan where she received her Masters in Social Work from Eastern Michigan University, and co-founded "Staying Power" a youth arts activism program in Ypsilanti (inspired by the Staying Power collective in Richmond, CA.) She is currently the Director of Community at 4.0 Schools. Molly draws inspiration from Audre Lorde, Octavia Butler, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Frida Khalo, Paulo Freire and from the recipes, jokes and legacy of her ancestors. She comes from a long line of storytellers and plumbers who taught her how to bend words and weld new worlds.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Powerful and relatable submitted by cleansky7 on May 20, 2024, 1:10pm I really enjoyed reading this book of poetry by Molly Raynor. I like how she writes about the legacy of the women in her family, reclaiming her body and life from trauma and discrimination.