Woman, Eat Me Whole: Poems

A bold, mesmerizing debut collection exploring womanhood, the body, mental illness, and what it means to move between cultures

Renowned for her storytelling and spoken-word artistry, Ama Asantewa Diaka is also an exultant, fierce, and visceral poet whose work leaves a lasting impact.

Touching on themes from perceptions of beauty to the betrayals of the body, from what it means to give consent to how we grapple with demons internal and external, Woman, Eat Me Whole is an entirely fresh and powerful look at womanhood and personhood in a shifting world. Moving between Ghana and the United States, Diaka probes those countries' ever-changing cultural expectations and norms while investigating the dislocation and fragmentation of a body--and a mind--so often restless or ill at ease.

Vivid and bodily while also deeply cerebral, Woman, Eat Me Whole is a searing debut collection from a poet with an inimitable voice and vision.

This collection confronts the unspoken with unflinching honesty--a raw mapping of what it means to live in a body at war with itself and the world.

• Poetry of Womanhood: An unflinching examination of the female body, from the politics of beauty and consent to the visceral realities of pain and pleasure.
• Mental Health and the Body: A courageous exploration of depression, anxiety, and trauma, giving language to internal demons and the fight for redemption.
• Ghanaian Identity: Diaka navigates the complex space between Ghana and the United States, probing cultural expectations and the search for home.
• From Spoken Word to Page: The same rhythmic power and raw energy that define Diaka's spoken-word performances are captured in this unforgettable collection.