Afrekete: An Anthology of Black Lesbian Writing

Destined to become a classic in the tradition of the best-selling Black-Eyed Susans/Midnight Birds and Erotique Noire/ Black Erotica. Afrekete gives collective voice to the tradition of black lesbian writing. In the vast and proliferating area of both African-American and lesbian and gay writing, the work of black lesbians is most often excluded or relegated to the margins. Afrekete meshes these seemingly disparate traditions and celebrates black lesbian experiences in all their variety and depth.

Elegant, timely, provocative, and inspiring, the fiction, poetry, and nonfiction in Afrekete -- written in a range of styles -- engage a variety of highly topical themes, placing them at the center of literary and social discourse. Beginning with "Tar Beach," an excerpt from Audre Lorde's celebrated memoir Zami: A New Spelling of My Name, which introduces the character Afrekete, the collection also includes such prominent writers as Michelle Cliff, Carolivia Herron, Jewelle Gomez, and Alexis De Veaux. Other pieces are by Jacqueline Woodson, Sapphire, Essence editor Linda Villarosa, and filmmaker Michelle Parkerson, with other contributions by exciting new writers Cynthia Bond, Jocelyn Taylor, Jamika Ajalon, and Sharee Nash.

Afrekete is a collection whose time has come. It is an extraordinary work, one of lasting value for all lovers of literature. A fresh, engaging journey, Afrekete will both inform and delight.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Anchor Books
Published: 04/01/1995
ISBN: 9780385473552
Pages: 336
Weight: 1.07lbs
Size: 9.04h x 6.18w x 0.78d

Review Citations: Booklist 05/15/1995 pg. 1626
Library Journal 06/01/1995 pg. 114
Publishers Weekly 03/13/1995 pg. 66
Publishers Weekly 04/24/1995 pg. 68
Kirkus Reviews 02/15/1995 pg. 164
Publishers Weekly 03/13/1995
Publishers Weekly 04/24/1995