As part of The Pixel Project’s Read For Pixels campaign, we interview authors and poets from genres as diverse as Science Fiction and Fantasy to Romance to Horror about why they support the movement to end violence against women and girls.
For Domestic Violence Awareness Month 2025, we present an interview with Read For Pixels poet Jo Kaplan who contributed her original poem Where the Monsters Live to our 1st charity poetry collection, UNDER HER EYE. Jo is a Shirley Jackson Award nominated author whose books include It Will Just Be Us, When the Night Bells Ring, and The Midnight Muse.
Inspired to support The Pixel Project’s anti-violence against women work? Make a donation to us today OR buy our 1st poetry collection, UNDER HER EYE, that is published in partnership with Black Spot Books. All donations and net proceeds from book sales go towards supporting our campaigns, programmes, and initiatives.
1. Why is ending violence against women important to you and why did you decide to support The Pixel Project by contributing your poem Where The Monsters Live to UNDER HER EYE which is The Pixel Project’s first charity poetry collection published in partnership with Black Spot Books?
No one should have to experience violence, and women and girls have been subjected to it throughout history. Though domestic violence has been illegal since the early 1900s, spousal rape was only made illegal in all 50 states in 1993. That’s only 32 years ago. And there is still so much to be done to prevent violence against women, so I was honoured to be able to contribute a poem to the anthology. The poem explores the misperception that violence is an external experience, coming from strangers and strange places, when the most likely place one may encounter a monster is in her own home.
2. What do you think poets can do to help with the cultural change needed to stop violence against women and girls?
In addition to sharing their own voices, poets can uplift the voices of women writers everywhere. There is so much possibility with poetry to speak to the varied lived experiences of women. Poetry has long been used in ways meant to inspire deeper thinking about complex issues, to raise awareness about social justice, and even to enact political change. I believe literature not only reflects but can influence the world. So I guess I would just say to everyone with any interest at all in putting their thoughts into poetry: keep writing!
3. Any final thoughts about why everyone should support stopping violence against women?
It just seems like common sense. Women make up half the population of the world. If we value each other at all, as people, why wouldn’t we want to stop violence against women?
Listen to Jo read Where the Monsters Live here: