Discover the best of Audre Lorde.
This month, we showcase the best of Audre Lorde’s poetry. If you’ve never read anything by this dynamic poet, now is the time.
“I am a Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet.”
Audre Lorde famously spoke these words to introduce herself every chance she had making her mission synonymous with her name. The Harlem native wrote well over 300 poems on identity, womanhood, and a longing for justice so palpable it continues to inspire the hearts of readers decades later. Her fearless poetry gave marginalized audiences a chance to experience the support the world religiously tried to deny them. She dedicated her life to fighting for every heart’s right to live a free, limitless life basking in the sunlight. This professor, activist, and radical feminist wrote poetry so eloquent and colorful, every message of liberation continues to transcend time.
While the earthly plane lost Lorde to her fight with breast cancer in 1992, today we celebrate her life. This fiercely talented poetess was born on February 18th, 1934! In honor of her trailblazing work, ahead are 18 of Audre Lorde’s most powerful poems to remind us all of the freedom, acceptance, and wish for boundless love she spent her life fighting for.
Coal – The Collected Poems of Audre Lorde
A Woman Speaks – The Collected Poems of Audre Lorde
The Black Unicorn – The Black Unicorn: Poems
Power – The Collected Poems of Audre Lorde
To The Poet Who Happens to Be Black and The Black Poet Who Happens to Be a Woman
Sisters in Arms – The Collected Poems of Audre Lorde
The Women of Dan Dance with Their Swords in Their Hands To Mark the Time When They Were Warriors
Who Said It Was Simple – From a Land Where Other People Live by Audre Lorde
From the House of Yemanja – The Collected Poems of Audre Lorde
The Old Days
Never to Dream of Spiders – The Collected Poems of Audre Lorde
A Song for Many Movements – The Collected Poems of Audre Lorde
A Litany for Survival – The Collected Poems of Audre Lorde
Movement Song – From a Land Where Other People Live by Audre Lorde
Recreation – The Collected Poems of Audre Lorde
Hanging Fire – The Collected Poems of Audre Lorde
The Trollop Maiden
Rites of passage
Craving more of Audre Lorde’s brilliance? Here are a few of her most loved collections and books for you to dive into!
Zami: A New Spelling of My Name: A Biomythography
The Marvelous Arithmetics of Distance: Poems, 1987-1992
Discover more Black poets with these eight collections that celebrate Black culture.
