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 Mercedes M. Yardley who contributed her original poem The Colour of Bruises to our 1st charity poetry collection, UNDER HER EYE. Mercedes is a whimsical dark fantasist. She is a three-time Bram Stoker Award winner for Little Dead Red, Love is a Crematorium, and “Fracture.” She lives and works in Las Vegas. You can find her at mercedesmyardley.com.
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 The Color of Bruises to UNDER HER EYE which is The Pixel Project’s first charity poetry collection published in partnership with Black Spot Books?
Unfortunately, too many women and girls are victims of violence, and the only way to change that is to speak up. We’re finally getting to a point where we’re able to recognise and speak out against violence, rather than turn away from it like we did in the past. If we want to protect ourselves and each other, we need to drag the issue into the room and make everyone stare at it. It’s ugly and difficult, but we can’t change what we don’t acknowledge. I contributed because I believe words can make a difference.
2. What do you think poets can do to help with the cultural change needed to stop violence against women and girls?
Poets have a unique opportunity to bring about change because we live in a strange, liminal place. It’s almost otherworldly. Poetry is like sunlight and darkness in that it’s able to easily seep into people’s consciousness. Its shorter form makes it easily consumable, so people who might not have the time or desire to read a novel might find poetry more palatable. The form refines each word, polishing it like a jewel, so it cuts directly through the bones and sinew and straight to the soul of a person. We can explore and express things in poetry that feel too vulnerable to share in other forums.
3. Any final thoughts about why everyone should support stopping violence against women?
Supporting the cessation of violence against women is basic human decency. It’s the very minimum of what society should do. The promotion of violence against others is abhorrent, and we ought to recoil from that. We should be people of empathy. I’m constantly astounded by the cruelty around us. I walk around with smoke curling from my heart because my rage burns so fiercely. If others won’t be kind, then I will. If others won’t be strong or protect women, then I’ll do it. It shouldn’t be so hard to be human.
Listen to Mercedes read The Color of Bruises here: