Living as a Lesbian
by Cheryl Clarke

Poetry. African American Studies. LGBT Studies. LIVING AS A LESBIAN is Cheryl Clarke’s paean to lesbian life. Filled with sounds from her childhood in Washington, DC, the riffs of jazz musicians, and bluesy incantations, LIVING AS A LESBIAN sings like a marimba, whispering "i am, i am in love with you." LIVING AS A LESBIAN chronicles Clarke’s years of literary and political activism with anger, passion, and determination. Clarke mourns the death of Kimako Baraka, "sister of famous artist brother"; celebrates the life of Indira Gandhi; and chronicles all kinds of disasters natural and human-made. The world is large in LIVING AS A LESBIAN but also personal and intimate. These poems are closely observed and finely wrought with Clarke’s characteristic charm and wit shining throughout. In 1986, LIVING AS A LESBIAN captured the vitality and volatility of the lesbian world; today, in a world both changed and unchanged, Clarke’s poems continue to illuminate our lives and make new meanings for LIVING AS A LESBIAN.