This collection gathers fifteen essays and speeches written between 1976 and 1984 by poet and activist Audre Lorde, writing from her position as a Black woman, lesbian, mother, feminist, and cancer survivor. It includes "Poetry Is Not a Luxury," "The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action," "Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power," "The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House," "Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference," and "The Uses of Anger." Lorde argues that difference must be recognized rather than merely tolerated, that silence does not protect the oppressed, and that erotic knowledge and anger can be sources of creative power. She addresses racism within feminism, sexism and homophobia within Black communities, coalition building, and imperialism. Now a classic of Black feminist thought, the book remains widely taught in feminist, queer, and critical social theory.
Author: Audre Lorde ยท Original publisher: The Crossing Press (Trumansburg, NY), 1984
