Professor of English, Rhonda Pettit recently published a book of poety titled “Fetal Waters.” Pettit says publishing a book of poems has always been a goal of hers.
“I spent the first part of my academic career writing literary criticism, primarily about Dorothy Parker,” she said. “Those two books-‘A Gendered Collision’ and ‘The Critical Waltz’-in addition to my teaching put my poetry plans on the back burner.”
The poems cover a wide variety of topics, such as sexism and racism.
“Yes, there are several themes interwoven through the book having to do with race, gender, sex, social justice, and war,” she explained. ” I wrote about them to better understand them and my relationship to them.”
Even though the book of poems was just published this year, she says “Fetal Waters” dates back to the 1990s.
Out of all the poems included in the book, Pettit chose to name the book after the one called “Fetal Waters.” She then explained the concept she was trying to get across while naming the book.
“It seems to me that, though the human race is very knowledgeable in some respects, we’re not yet mature enough to avoid all kinds of destruction-to others, to ourselves, to our earth home. In some respects we’re still in a developmental stage, an unfinished stage. The image of ‘fetal waters’ is trying to suggest that concept.”
Pettit plans to work on producing more books of poetry, saying she simply loves to write poems.
“Yes, I will be working on producing other books of poetry,” she said. “There are many things I love about writing poems-the quiet, the listening, the focus, and the discoveries I make about my subject, its language, and its music.”
Published by Finishing Line Press and available to order online at Finishinglinepress.com, “Fetal Waters” is a wonderful, touching, and deep book of poetry and is a highly recommended read.
Tuesday, June 24, 2025