Two Women In a Birth

Written by Betsy Warland and Daphne Marlatt

 Two Women in a Birth represents ten years of collaborative writing by two of Canada’s leading feminist writers, Betsy Warland and Daphne Marlatt. It includes 1984 companion books: open is broken (Warland) and Touch to My Tongue (Marlatt) as well as their co-authored book, Double Negative (1988). Also included are their collaborative pieces published in literary journals: “Reading and Writing Between the Lines” and “Subject to Change.”

 The back cover of the book sums up their collaborative writing process: “As they dance in the dark with language, issue of merging — treading on each other’s toes — and ownership of words —turning on each other’s image — emerge in their irresistible word play and erotic lyricism. Fusing feminist cultural analysis, narrative and poetry, Warland and Marlatt explore the reciprocity of reading and writing with remarkable originality.” Almost 20 years later, this kind of exploratory, sensual, innovative collaborative writing between two women authors still stands alone.

 1994 Guernica Editions