How do women writers cope with changes and juggle the demands in their already full lives to make time for their lives as artists? In this anthology, noted female novelists, journalists, essayists, poets, and nonfiction writers address the old and new challenges of "doing it all" that face women writers as the twenty-first century approaches. With eloquence, sensitivity, and more than a touch of wry humor, Sleeping with One Eye Open relates positive stories from women who lead effective lives as artists, emphasizing how sources of inspiration, discipline, resourcefulness, and determination help them succeed despite the obstacle of "no time."

The title essay, Judith Ortiz Cofer's "The Woman Who Slept with One Eye Open, " defines the collection. Cofer relates the ways in which a mythological story from her Puerto Rican culture gave her confidence and courage, encouraging her creative success and emphasizing the rewards of "women's power" and personal strength. Denise Levertov's "The Vital Necessity" urges poets to make time for daydreams -- essential, empowering creative food. Tillie Olsen offers a frank discussion of the pressures of work and expectations that too often sap creative energy. Tess Gallagher connects her mother's creative gardening with her own inspiration as a poet and the need for growth in her writing. Marilyn Kallet's interview with Lucille Clifton relates the personal strength that helped Clifton raise six children and publish her first book at the same time. This affirming collection offers a wealth of writing advice, given through honest accounts of perseverance and accomplishment.

May Sarton has been writing and publishing poetry for over sixty years. A House of Gathering gives her poetry long-overdue critical attention and discusses Sarton's place among modern and contemporary world authors.As working poets, the contributors offer knowledgeable discussions of Sarton's craft. The essays cover a broad range of topics, from Pastan's memoirs of Sarton as her teacher at Radcliffe in the 1950s, to Charlotte Mandel's close scrutiny of Sarton's poetic forms in her earliest collections, to Bobby Caudle Rogers's consideration of the poetic sequence as a form in contemporary American poetry, to Keith Norris's reading of Sarton as a postmodernist. William Stafford's essay on Sarton's A Private Mythology offers eloquent testimony as to the poet's "breakthrough" in mid-career.In addition, A House of Gathering includes an original interview with May Sarton; a recent poem, "Friendship and Illness"; working drafts for "Old Lovers at the Ballet"; a letter from Sarton to H.D.; and several original photographs. These essays will appeal to readers interested in poetry and literature in general, in women's studies, and in May Sarton.