The collection Women Life Freedom: Poems for the Iranian Revolution is a beautiful testament to the power of community and the clear, unwavering vision of the women of Iran and its diaspora. The title alludes to the chant voiced by women during protests—Woman, Life, Freedom—a phrase that has come to embody resistance, dignity, and the insistence on a livable future. Edited by poets and translators Bänoo Zan and Cy Storm, this collection brings to life the histories, fears, and hopes of women in Iran with urgency and care.

What also emerges powerfully across these pages is an understanding of how systems of oppression—shaped and reinforced by colonial legacies—work to instill and normalize misogyny. The poems resist that inheritance. They confront the ways patriarchy is maintained, challenged, and dismantled, showing how misogyny is not inevitable but constructed—and therefore can be undone. In this sense, the anthology is not only a witness to revolution but part of it. Each piece contributes to a collective cry.

Bänoo Zan and Cy Storm aim to raise awareness of the women’s revolution in Iran, and they succeed in creating a collection that feels alive with purpose. This cause is not distant, not abstract—it is urgent, ongoing, and global. This anthology echoes that truth with clarity and force.

London Pinkney, Editor-in-Chief