Menopause Party

In a post on Harriet with the same name, Eileen Myles writes:

My title for this post refers to an invite I received from a poet friend who is celebrating her menopause. I bet there will be some poem reading happening at her party, but a lot of talk about female bodies as well so what does this have to do with the craft of poetry. I’ve thrown the gauntlet down with that question and it won’t happen, my answer, till after the poetry month is over. So we’ll just have to see. I’ll see. And I’ll try and make it that you’ll see too. With of course considerations for privacy. The invite said women and transgendered people only. Is this starting to constitute political poetry. I don’t think you necessarily have to think of it that way. But it’s somewhat embodied. Don’t you think a book is an embodiment. That’s the part I resist. But I’m excited about this and other group non-group ways of being a poet. It’s all of us bellying up to the bar in a multitude of ways. What does a poet give – to herself and anyone else. Does she only and always give poetry. A poet gives widely in a multitude of ways. I’ve used that word twice. Multitude. There now I’ve done it again.

 I’m the poet who will be having that menopause party, this coming Friday. If you are female or trans and my friend and you didn’t get an invite, it was an oversight. If you would like to come, send me an email and I will send you the details.

Some people seem to think the idea of a menopause party is quite bizarre.  It’s actually more common than one might think. Google returned “about 4,170 results.” I mean why not? Baby showers, weddings, birthday parties, quinceañeras, coming-of-age days, wedding anniversaries, and funerals all celebrate major life passages, so why not menopause? It’s not a big secret anymore, people, and in my experience it’s TOTALLY FUCKING GREAT.

So the party is Friday evening, and then Saturday is my seventh wedding anniversary, for what it’s worth.  No presents, please. Everything is just… too funny!