I Wanna Be Loved by You: Poems on Marilyn Monroe, edited by Susana H. Case and Margo Taft Stever, was published by Milk & Cake Press in February, 2022.

This anthology of poems on Marilyn Monroe, one of the all-time greatest iconic figures of beauty and femininity, addresses questions about gender roles and their enactment, and the ways in which women attempt to negotiate the differences between their private and public personae.

The ninety who are represented include Sylvia Plath, Sharon Olds, David Lehman, Denise Duhamel, Nin Andrews, Delmore Schwartz, Ernesto Cardenal, David Trinidad, and Frank Baez. The introduction is written by Lois Banner, the founder of the women’s history movement and author of ten books, including Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox (Bloomsbury, 2012). The anthology is for sale here.

The idea for the anthology was sparked by a December, 2020 reading that Susana and Margo gave, in which both poets read poems that mentioned Marilyn Monroe. The first publisher they approached, Milk & Cake Press, signed onto the project.

Margo and Susana, in consultation with the publisher, decided to donate any proceeds from the sale of the anthology to RAINN, the largest U.S. nonprofit that fights against sexual violence.

Initial readings were scheduled for February and March on Zoom at Red-Headed Stepchild, Poetry Society of New Hampshire, and Small Press Book Fair, among others, both in person and on zoom (see Upcoming Readings for more information),

SUSANA H. CASE is the author of eight books of poetry, most recently The Damage Done (Broadstone Books, 2022). Her books have won a Pinnacle Book Award for Best Poetry Book, a NYC Big Book Award Distinguished Favorite, an IPPY, and she was a Finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book Award. She is a co-editor of Slapering Hol Press. (susanahcase.com).

MARGO TAFT STEVER’s latest poetry collections are The End of Horses (Broadstone Books, 2022) and Cracked Piano (CavanKerry Press, 2019) which was a finalist and received honorable mention for the Eric Hoffer Awards, 2021. She is founder of the Hudson Valley Writers Center and founding and current co-editor of Slapering Hol Press. She lives in Sleepy Hollow, New York. (www.margotaftstever.com)