I've been on a bit of a poetry kick, and Trista Mateer's goddess-inspired poems have been highly entertaining and emotionally resonant. I loved her collections based on Aphrodite and Persephone, so I couldn't very well not read her work for Artemis.
Genre: Modern Poetry
Category: Emotional Read
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Rating: 5/5 Stars
Pairing: Ostara salad + fir needle forest chai or forest fruit chai
Following the format of her other goddess-inspired collections, Artemis Made Me Do It alternates between the channeled voice of the goddess and that of the poet, each airing their grievances, telling their stories, and asking the big questions that often echo inside our minds.
"After a while you start to wonder,
[...]
Am I really this easy to hurt?"
As Artemis is the daughter of Zeus and goddess of the hunt, this collection is about father-daughter relationships, the impact of patriarchal standards and expectations of women, being the hunter and the hunted, feminine wildness, freedom, burnout, the need for a break, and reclaiming personal power and narratives.
"I am half woman, half myth of myself. This is what happens when you sit back and allow other people to dictate who you are. I will never bite my tongue like that again."
As readers follow Artemis in recounting her struggles, healing, and empowerment, they will encounter new versions of stories and characters they might have heard before like Callisto, Actaeon, Apollo, Diana, and as mentioned above, Zeus.
"I supposed eldest daughters
never really get to be children for long."
"Like most fathers,
he misunderstood me.
And like most daughters,
I never bothered to correct him."
Like her other works, this poetry collection is filled with art inspired by tarot, the goddess, and feminine struggles. The art in this book features tarot cards, forests, the night sky, bodies of water, wild animals, and tired, angry women. What I really love about this book––and what makes it stand apart from her other mythology collections––is that there are sections with journaling prompts and "Easy Ways of Exploring Your Internal Wilderness" to help readers connect with their own wildness.
As someone who grew up in a rural small town and moved to a major metropolitan area, this tome resonates with the parts of me that are called back to the quiet, green places. If you've ever longed to disappear into the forest, I think this collection will resonate with you.
Artemis Made Me Do It is an excellent read for anyone wanting to brush up against or be seen for their rage, grief, and untamed nature. It's for anyone who wants to reclaim their wildness, to celebrate their feral sides. If this is you or you're a fan of Artemis, Greek mythology, and/or feminine poetry in general, then I would highly recommend this book.
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