Living As a Lesbian: Poetry [Paperback]

Cheryl Clarke (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

14th Street Was Gutted In 1968
Acceptance
Auction
The Change
An Exile I Have Loved Tells Me She's Going Home
Fall Journal Entry: 1983
For My Mother, 1979
Freedom Flesh
Funeral Thoughts
Great Expectations
How Like A Man
I Come To The City For Protection
Indira
Intimacy No Luxury Here
Jazz Poem For Morristown, N.j.
Journal Entry: Qualification
Journal Entry: Sisters
Journal Entry: The Last Postcard
Journal Entry: The Weekend My Lover Is Away
Kittatinny
The Layoff
Living As A Lesbian At 35
Living As A Lesbian In The Journal
Living As A Lesbian On The Make
Living As A Lesbian Rambling
Living As A Lesbian Underground: A Futuristic Fantasy
Marimba
Miami: 1980
No More Encomiums
Nothing
Palm Leaf Of Mary Magdalene
Palm Reading
Pueblo Bonito
San Juan: 1979
Sexual Preference
Since My Lover Left The City Without Warning
Sister Of Famous Artist Brother
Storyteller
To Vanessa Williams: Miss America (black) 1984
Triumph
Ubban Gothic
Vicki And Daphne
We Are Everywhere And White People Still Do Not See Us
Wearing My Cap Backwards
What Goes Around Comes Around Or The Proof Is In The Pudding
The Woman Who Raised Me Asks Me
-- Table of Poems from Poem Finder®

Product Details

• Paperback: 104 pages
• Publisher: Firebrand Books (April 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0932379125
• ISBN-13: 978-0932379122
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #628,603 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poetic pyrotechnics from a radical voice, January 13, 2001

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Living As a Lesbian: Poetry (Paperback)

"Living As a Lesbian" is a stunning collection of poetry by Cheryl Clarke. As the title indicates, much of the book's content revolves around loving and surviving as a lesbian in the 20th century. Clarke also writes about racism and injustice, and reflects upon the people and events of her world. Much of the book has a gritty, urban flavor to it.

In the poem "wearing my cap backwards," Clarke writes, "poets are among the first witches / so suffer none to live." This sets the tone for her poetic style: edgy, dangerous, and allied with the most marginalized elements of society. As she explores her subjects--lesbian sex, racially biased courtrooms, recreational drug use, road kill, and more--Clarke uses language that is alternatingly lusty, playful, profane, enraged, and/or outraged.

Some of the most memorable selections from "Living As a Lesbian" include "living as a lesbian on the make," which narrates the adventure of a lesbian in a "straight" bar; "Indira," an irony-laden reflection on the life and public image of Indian leader Indira Gandhi; and "sexual preference," a humorous meditation on lesbian sexual practices.

As Clarke spins her poetic webs, she ensnares many public figures: Jesse Jackson, Anita Bryant, Vanessa Williams, and more. Her vision is international, multi-cultural, and unbound by time: "i hear a marimba player chanting / her slave song in portuguese" (from "marimba"). As in her other books, Clarke finds a wealth of inspiration in African-American culture and history.

In the poem entitled "living as a lesbian underground: a futuristic fantasy," Clarke writes, "Leave signs of struggle. / Leave signs of triumph." This book, along with Clarke's other volumes of poetry, contains powerful signs of both struggle and triumph on the part of a remarkable poet.

1.0 out of 5 stars Simply Horrid!, October 26, 2009

By 

Jeffery Mingo (Homewood, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Living As a Lesbian: Poetry (Paperback)

What a lousy work! Talk about amateurish, boring, and pessimistic. There are kindergartners who could make better poetry. Why did I waste any time and energy on this?! This was like sniffing limburger. So angry and unenligtening and tedious, why would poetry lovers even go here!? I'm sticking to Essex Hemphill, Maya Angelou, Audre Lorde, and many other fine poets. But this mess!? No way! Talk about not doing the trick and failing miserably!

3.0 out of 5 stars maybe too mature..?, December 10, 2008

By 

Dorothy Dandridge "AVid rEadEr" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Living As a Lesbian: Poetry (Paperback)

I have to say that I was disappointed by the poetry in this collection. I thought I would like to write poetry and i wanted to read more about the lesbian lifestlye. All of the poems did not relate to lesbians, and the stly of writing did nothing for me. Possibly, I am not cultured enough or old enough to enjoy it.