Don't let the head full of snakes distract you. Do not be cowed by the presence of Greek gods and goddesses or lulled by the vaguely familiar details of a story you only think you know.
Yes, Medusa was a mythological monster whose hair was a nest of snakes. Yes, anyone who looked upon her face would turn to stone. And yes, even after she was decapitated by Perseus, Medusa still had the power to paralyze.
But in her new poetry collection, "The Loneliest Girl," the Los Angeles-based writer and publisher Kate Gale looks at Medusa and sees the woman behind the terrifying creature. The woman who was raped by the sea god Poseidon in Athena's temple, and then Athena made her pay the price.
