Poetry Book Club: Helen of Troy, 1993

Our poetry selection for October is Helen of Troy, 1993 by Maria Zoccola. If you haven’t already, please complete the form and be sure to purchase your copy at Scholar & Scribe to read beforehand…and get 10% off when you do!

Part myth retelling, part character study, this sharp, visceral debut poetry collection reimagines Helen of Troy from Homer’s Iliad as a disgruntled housewife in 1990s Tennessee.

In the hills of Sparta, Tennessee, during the early nineties, Helen decides to break free from the life that stifles her: marriage, motherhood, the monotonous duties of a Southern housewife. But leaving isn’t the same thing as staying gone…

Rooted in a lush natural landscape, this stunning poetry collection explores Helen’s isolation and rebellion as her expansive personality clashes with the social rigidity of her small town. In richly layered poems with settings that range from football games to Chuck E. Cheese to the bathroom of a Motel 6, Helen enters adulthood as a disaffected homemaker grasping for agency. She marries the wrong man, gives birth to a child she is not ready to parent, and embarks on an affair that throws her life into chaos. But she never surrenders ownership of her story or her choices, insisting to the reader: “if you never owned a bone-sharp biography… / i don’t want to hear it. i want you silent. / i want you listening to me.”

Blurring the line between mythology and modernity, Helen of Troy, 1993 is an unforgettable collection that shows the Homeric Helen like she’s never been seen before.

This is a great opportunity to share your thoughts and connect with fellow book lovers. We look forward to seeing you there!

If you purchase the audiobook through Libro.fm, send your receipt to hello@scholarandscribe.com to be added to the club. Same, if you order through Bookshop.org!