Red Light: Superheroes, Saints, and Sluts

Tami Oliphant is a Ph.D. candidate in Library and Information Studies at the University of Western Ontario.

This anthology of poetry, short fiction, artwork, and comics powerfully
reimagines female icons, archetypes, and stereotypes. Turning the tables
on colonial and racist tropes, the contributors effectively blow the lid
off traditional portrayals of women and traditional ideas about
femininity. In addition to portraits ranging from the Indian Princess to
the Black Bitch, there are odes to Janis Joplin, Wonder Woman, and Brown
Owl (yes, Brown Owl from Brownies), as well as stories recounted by
lesbians, cougars, witches, crazy women, and the Avon Lady.

Editor Anna Camilleri has done a commendable job of keeping the
anthology focused while presenting a wide range of female protagonists.
Contributors to the volume are ethnically and geographically diverse;
they are mostly Canadian with one Australian.

The individual pieces run the gamut from harrowing to laugh-out-loud
funny. Standouts include “Grandma the Indian Princess and Other
Settler Fairy Tales,” “She Pouts Like Scarlett O’Hara,” “Mary
Was …” (an art installation depicting a woman’s struggle with
welfare as told through the narrative written on photographed welfare
envelopes), the hilarious “Yellow Rose of Texas,” and the poem
“Why I Want to Be Pam Grier.” An informative artist’s statement
accompanies each piece of art reproduced in the collection.

Red Light is geared toward younger women who are discovering their
identity and struggling to define the type of woman they want to become.
The primary focus of the book is single women (unless the focus is a
lesbian relationship) and childhood recollections. An empowering but
realistic portrait of motherhood would be a welcome complement to this
engaging anthology.