Missed in History: Audre Lorde, Part 1

Audre Lorde lectures students at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, Florida in 1983. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

Audre Lorde called herself a “black feminist lesbian mother poet warrior,” but for a lot of people, she’s best known for the “poet” part. She gained the admiration and support of other prominent poets really early in her career, and she went on to become a teacher and activist, using language to raise awareness and fight against discrimination in all forms. Her life, which naturally influenced her creative work, was so rich that we’ve divided her story into two episodes. Part one begins with her parents and early family life, taking us through her college years. In part two, we’ll talk about her life as a wife, a mother, a teacher and a poet, along with her experience with breast cancer. (In part two, we’ll also share one of her poems.)

We have two pieces of listener mail, from Colleen and Emily. Both are on our episode on Mendez v. Westminster.

We recommend Stuff Mom Never Told You’s episode “Is Solidarity for White Women?” for more on intersectionality.

For more knowledge: How Feminism Works

Episode link: Audre Lorde, Part 1

My research:

Academy of American Poets. “Audre Lorde.” http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/306
De Veaux, Alexis. “Warrior Poet: A Biography of Audre Lorde.” W.W. Norton. 2004.
Goodwin, Melinda. “Tribute to Audre Lorde: Introduction.” http://www.colorado.edu/journals/standards/V5N1/Lorde/goodman.html
Griffin, Ada Gay and Michelle Parkerson. “Audre Lorde.” BOMB. Vol. 56, Summer 1996. http://bombsite.com/issues/56/articles/1961
Kay, Jackie. “My Hero, Audre Lorde.” The Guardian. 11/18/2011. http://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/nov/18/my-hero-audre-lorde-jackie-kay
Lorde, Audre. “Audre Lorde Reads Uses of the Erotic: The Erotica as Power.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFHwg6aNKy0
Lorde, Audre. “Poetry Is Not a Luxury.” http://www.onbeing.org/program/words-shimmer/feature/poetry-not-luxury-audre-lorde/318
Lorde, Audre. “The Cancer Journals.” Aunt Lute Books. 1980.
Lorde, Audre. “Undersong: Chosen Poems Old and New.” W.W. Norton. 1992.
Poetry Foundation. “Audre Lorde.” http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/audre-lorde
Pope, Jacquelyn. “Review of Warrior Poet.” Callaloo, Spring 2007. http://poems.com/special_features/prose/essay_pope.php
Ulysse, Gina Athena. “How Audre Lorde Made Queer History.” Ms. Magazine. Oct. 31, 2011. http://msmagazine.com/blog/2011/10/31/how-audre-lorde-made-queer-history/