“If I abstain from fun and such, / I'll probably amount to much, / But I shall stay the way I am, / Because I do not give a damn.”

American poet Dorothy Parker lived a life of heartache and hardship, but her writing became her weapon to fight back. She refused to temper her strong opinions, even at the cost of her editorial position at Vanity Fair. Parker continued to write—unfiltered and unapologetic—and found solidarity in community with other writers. Enough Rope was Parker’s first volume of poetry, featuring poems originally published in Life, Vanity Fair, and The New Yorker. Parker’s poetry has galvanized generations of strong-willed women, and the fire in her voice burns strong even a century after the first publication.

Jo Anna Perrin

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