Betsy Bernfeld

Eve Betsy Bernfeld

Eve, the universal name for the feminine, is the title of Betsy Orient Bernfeld's new poetry chapbook. It takes place in the home, in the court, on the sea, on the road, on the run. A woman gives birth in a tree, learns to raise the mailsail alone on the ocean, encounters violence against women, lives with fertility and infertility, suffers through an eating disorder, smokes cigars with the guys, hides in plain sight. It addresses loves, losses, dreams and a woman's touch: "Think of a feather . . . don't hold your breath when touching, imagine blowing a feather." Bernfeld is a librarian, lawyer and writer in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.