According to the editors, Jerri Beck (who still lives and writes in Birmingham, AL) and Anne George (now deceased) in the Foreword:
"This is a southern woman's anthology in that each author was born in the South and has spent her whole life or a considerable portion of her life here. Each woman is now living and working in Alabama; each, with the exception of Anna, 17, our baker's dozen (just give her time!), has already made considerable contributions to literature. Mature, confident voices speak here.
And, yes, we believe these voices are recognizable as southern and female. There are southern idioms, the richness of the language, the humor, and, of course, irony. There is acceptance of the past and recognition of change. Many of the poems explore relationships . . . These pieces celebrate life, nature, and accomplishments; they grieve for losses; they examine angers.
We also believe that these poems and each writer's thoughts about being a poet on the cusp of the twenty-first century transcend regional and sexual boundaries. That is the magic of art."
This was the first state-wide anthology to which I was asked to contribute. I was a late-bloomer, and did not begin to write until I was thirty in 1979.