C. R. Stice
Wed, 29 Apr 2026 13:46:14 PDT

A Virtuous Woman is simultaneously the story of one woman and the story of all women. It is an attempt to discover the true nature of virtue, especially as it applies to women. The poems consider what it means to be good and what it means to be a woman, questions for which there are no clear answers. For that reason a variety of women appear in the collection, and they speak openly about a range subjects: violence, desire, anger, family history, grief, the functions and failings of their own bodies. The poems likewise employ a variety of forms. Some are short and tight, designed to surprise with their content and language. Others are long and expansive, and attempt to consider a single subject from multiple angles. Finally, there are those that lack defined form which are meant to emulate the workings of the human brain. The collection is organized into three unnamed parts that can be read as the story of one woman's journey of self discovery: a rash and tragic love affair, back story about the woman's family and childhood, and finally how she comes to terms with her body and her self.