A One Question Survey: What is a woman poet?

At Henry's Pub in Berkeley I conducted a one question survey. We were celebrating the triumphant end to a poetry workshop. At first, I asked only the women at the table and then we decided to invite the guys to participate in the survey too. I asked a few poets one simple question--

What is a Woman Poet?

I allowed as much time as each person needed in order to thoughtfully respond. The responses range from direct to abstract. I offered everyone around the table my notebook and a pen to write their responses.

A female poet is a kind of rebel-- in a very formal way. She has the tendency to contain and then to suddenly disperse lyric into worlds that are not her own. - Sheila

A writer who knows the edge and calls from it. -Casey

A ghost in the margin whispering to the words in the paragraph or stuttering into the spaces where voices. - Sharon

A woman poet is a poet in full possession of their powers. -Peter