Zami: A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde

by Feb 26, 2019Queer Syllabus

The Queer Syllabus is a joint project from The Rumpus and Foglifter Press that allows writers to nominate works for a new canon of queer literature. When we identify our roots, when we point to the work that shaped us as writers and as people, we demonstrate that our stories are timeless, essential, and important—and so are we. The Queer Syllabus is edited by Wesley O. Cohen and Marisa Siegel.

 

“To whom do I owe the symbols of my survival?” writes Lorde at the opening of Zami, her beautiful and epic “biomythography,” a genre she describes as a blend of history, myth, and biography. The book is Lorde’s intimate and evocative account of her life, from vivid memories of her childhood in 1940s Harlem to reflections on her relationships with the women she loved. From the desperately lonely child biting her palms to stay awake so she can listen to the stories her older sisters tell each other at night, to an out Black lesbian in 1950s New York, Lorde knew early that survival meant creating her own space in a world that refused to make it for her. Zami is “a Carriacou word for women who work together as friends and lovers,” and that’s exactly what Lorde does with the women she finds, together learning to uncover the autonomy and self-love necessary for survival.

I read this book religiously, poring over it like I would a sacred script. It almost reads like one, tooLorde’s writing is so sage-like and refined it nearly belies the surging emotion beneath. With beautiful, imaginative prose that nods to her poet’s brain, Lorde renders her life and sexuality with unshakable honesty, vulnerability, and sincerity. I quickly fell in love with her and her view of the world, my heart breaking when hers did but always getting put back together in a better way than before.

Although the meaning and nature of my survival is much different than Lorde’s, I still was compelled to consider the question she poses to herself at the beginning of Zami: To whom do I owe the symbols of my survival? I owe mine undoubtedly to writers like Audre Lorde, who bring their truth outward and tell their stories unapologetically, who make queerness and otherness into something that empowers and unites rather than something that weakens and divides, who speak to those reaching for a place in the world and make them feel a little less alone.

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Foglifter is a biannual compendium of the most dynamic, urgent queer writing today.

The Queer Writer is a year old! To celebrate as an ongoing newsletter (and now advice column!) dedicated to LGBTQ+ writers, TQW is giving away 10 paid memberships! Sign up for a free membership to enter. Contest ends 9/30.www.thequeerwriter.milotodd.com/paid-subscription-giveaway/Image Description: This graphic features a series of rainbows with a cloud in the middle, which reads, “The Queer Writer Giveaway.” Smaller clouds read, “Paid memberships for 10 free members!” and “www.thequeerwriter.milotodd.com.” Little foxes and sparkles decorate the graphic. ... See MoreSee Less
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Sparkling new queer Asian literature? Let’s GO!Check out Joanna Acevedo’s review of Cleo Qian (@clllqian)’s debut short story collection, “LET'S GO LET'S GO LET'S GO” on the Foglifter blog. Released by Tin House, this electric collection is full of dating simulations, social experiments, supernatural karaoke machines, and so much more. Check out this excerpt of Joanna’s review:“Cleo Qian’s Let’s Go Let’s Go Let’s Go, set alternately in Japan, China, Korea and America, is reminiscent of a disco ball—no matter which way you turn it, it remains luminous, catching the light and sending shards of brilliance into the air...We, the reader, are looking at these women. Perhaps we are the only ones who are. They ache to be seen, and as welook at them, we learn more about what it means to look, to be overlooked, what it means to be a woman, what it means to be a minority, and somehow, we learn more about ourselves as well.”Read more here: foglifterjournal.com/blog/Image description: This graphic spotlights “LET'S GO LET'S GO LET'S GO” by Cleo Qian" On the left is the book cover, which features one sketch of a young girl reaching across to another pixelated girl against a purple-blue background. On the right is the excerpt of Joanna’s review. ... See MoreSee Less
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