Photo by Laura Chouette on UnsplashLesbian poets are an important part of LGBTQIA+ art and history. Their works are highly revered and express their thoughts on various topics such as love, family, social injustice, and identity. Let's learn about 5 famous lesbian poets and their works.
1. Sappho
Sappho fresco by an unknown artist courtesy of Wikipedia
Who was she?
Sappho was a Greek poet who lived around 630 - 570 BCE. Born to an aristocratic family on the island of Lesbos, Greece, details of her life are debated by scholars.
What was she known for?
She is highly regarded in poetry and was referred to as "the Poetess" of her time. Sappho was known for writing poetry about love, which was written to be sung alongside the tune of a lyre.
Works by Sappho
Ode to Aphrodite is her only complete work that has survived till today.
Read an accessible text of Ode to Aphrodite here.
Some of her other works include:
2. Audre Lorde
Photo by Jack Mitchell from the Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Who was she?
Audre Lorde was an African-American poet, author, and civil rights activist. Born in New York City to a West Indian family, Lorde went to Catholic and public schools in the city and had her first poem published in Seventeen magazine before graduating high school.
What was she known for?
Lorde used her work to address social injustice and was an active member of various movements, including LGBTQIA+ rights, women's rights, and the anti-Vietnam War movement.
Works by Audre Lorde
Her poem, A Litany for Survival, explores the fear that marginalized communities experience.
Read an accessible text of A Litany for Survival here.
Other works by Lorde include:
Quiz
In A Litany for Survival, Audre Lorde says: "We were never meant to survive." What could this line be about? Select all answers that apply:
3. Wu Zao
Image courtesy of Making Queer History
Who was she?
Wu Zao was a Chinese poet, playwright, and composer. Born during the Qing dynasty to a merchant family, it's unclear to scholars how she learned to read, write, and play music.
What was she known for?
Wu Zao was known for her poems, which highlighted intimate connections with other women. She also wrote an opera titled Qiao Ying (Image in Disguise), about a woman who cross-dresses and paints her own self-portrait while talking about the gender roles of the era.
Works by Wu Zao
Her poem, For the Courtesan Ch'ing Lin, is interpreted as a lesbian love poem (or a sapphic poem).
Photo by secretlesbians on Tumblr
Read an accessible text of For the Courtesan Ch'ing Lin here.
Other works by Wu Zao include:
4. Adrienne Rich
Image courtesy of Legacy Project Chicago
Who was she?
Adrienne Rich was an American poet and essayist. She was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1929. Her father was a pathologist, and her mother was a concert pianist.
What was she known for?
Rich discussed topics of feminism, sexuality, and politics in her work. She was a big influence in her time and even received awards such as the Yale Series of Younger Poets Award, among many others.
Works by Adrienne Rich
Her poem Dreamwood is about "a woman looking at a typing stand and seeing all the possibilities and choices of her life."
Image courtesy of The Poetry Foundation
Read an accessible text of Dreamwood here.
Other works by Rich include:
Quiz
In Dreamwood, what is the significance of the typing stand? Select all answers that apply:
5. Pat Parker
Image courtesy of Legacy Project Chicago
Who was she?
Pat Parker was an African-American activist, artist, and poet. Born in Houston, Texas, to working-class parents, Parker moved to the Bay Area in California after finishing college.
What was she known for?
Parker became an important figure in the civil rights, women's rights, and LGBTQIA+ rights movements of the area. Her work focused on "oral and spoken word traditions, as well as autobiography, and radical politics." Parker went on to publish five collections of her poetry.
Works by Pat Parker
Her spoken-word poem Have you ever tried to hide? explores the oppression, racism, and sexism faced by black women in America.
Other works by Parker include:
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