(Women) In STEM, by Sara Matson

Poetry, chapbook, 56 pages, from Bottlecap Features.

Sara Matson’s collection of speculative poetry celebrates the fantastic achievements of women in STEM while disrupting the societal norms that have kept them hidden. Inspired by the lives and accomplishments of 21 remarkable women, (Women) In STEM explores their incredible contributions in science, technology, engineering, and math.

Quiet yet monumental, subtle yet scorching, these poems elucidate the beauty that flourishes despite (often to spite) the overwhelmingly white, heterosexual, male scientific fields.

Utilizing the intricate flexibility of poetry, Matson highlights their immense contributions to their respective fields while celebrating the determination, resilience, and joy of the women detailed within its pages.

Grounded in science fact but appreciative of science fiction, these poems offer a glimpse into the forgotten world of outstanding women whose accomplishments have been overlooked. With great reverence, Matson desires to bring historically disregarded women into a hopeful future, where the intersections of race, gender, and ability are celebrated.

Sara Matson (she/her) is a poet in Chicago. Her poems can be found in Bone Bouquet, Impossible Task, Ghost City, The Chicago Reader and crumpled in recycling bins from Berlin to Waukegan. Sara can be found with her husband under a pile of her three cats and four goats or on BlueSky as @saramatson.bsky.social and on Instagram as @skeletorsmom