My poem “OH MAD ARACHNE: A Folle in Three Acts” is included in NonBinary Review #19 Dante’s Inferno, which was published by Zoetic Press in December 2018. This one came out in a wild rush of words, quite unlike my normal process of writing poetry. It’s based on the story of Arachne, just a tale of a woman tearing another woman down. Let’s just say I have no love for Artemis.
Arachne is mentioned in “Inferno” in relation to Geryon (Canto XVII). On a side note, Geryon is Medusa’s grandson and Medusa is yet another woman who was cursed by a goddess, only this time it was Athena. (Go figure.) My inspiration came from the Gustave Doré’s image of “Arachne,” from the 12th Canto of Dante’s “Purgatory” (see below). However, when I realized Arachne was actually in Purgatory, not Inferno, I’d already written this poem. Luckily, my editor Lise Quintana loved it anyway and decided to include it in this marvelous issue. Enjoy!
Carina Bissett 