Springing forward into reading
This spring we hope you'll dive into some Aunt Lute reads that can inspire and nurture.
By Judy Grahn
Introduction by Patricia Holt
In telling her life story, Judy Grahn reflects on the profound cultural shifts brought about by the women’s and gay rights movements of the 1960s and 1970s. The “simple” revolution she recounts involved not just the formation of new institutions, but the creation of whole new ways of living, including collective feminist households that cut through the political and social isolation of women. (Buy it now.)
By Gloria Anzaldúa
Rooted in Anzaldúa’s experience as a Chicana, a lesbian, an activist, and a writer, the essays and poems in this volume profoundly challenged, and continue to challenge, how we think about identity. Borderlands/La Frontera remaps our understanding of what a “border” is, presenting it not as a simple divide between here and there, us and them, but as a psychic, social, and cultural terrain that we inhabit, and that inhabits all of us. (Read it here.)
By Ginny Z Berson
The burgeoning lesbian and feminist movements of the '70s and '80s created an impetus to form more independent and equitable social and cultural institutions—bookstores, publishers, health clinics, and more—to support the unprecedented surge in women's arts of all kinds. Olivia Records was at the forefront of these models, not only recording and distributing women's music but also creating important new social spaces for previously isolated women and lesbians through concerts and festivals. (Get a copy here.)
Still in Love: Multicultural Lesbian Publishing in the 80s, 90s, and Beyond
Building on the fall panel about Naiad Press’s lesbian publishing and new oral histories about Naiad from Florida State University, Sinister Wisdom and the Lesbian Herstory Archives, invite you to join a zoom panel discussion with founders and authors of Aunt Lute Books and Firebrand Books about their visions of multicultural lesbian and feminist publishing during the 1980s, 1990s, and beyond.
Firebrand Books published just over 100 books between 1985 and 2000, including iconic titles by Dorothy Allison, Alison Bechdel, Cheryl Clarke, Leslie Feinberg, Jewelle Gomez, Cherríe Moraga, Joan Nestle, Minnie Bruce Pratt, and many others. Aunt Lute similarly has published over 100 books, including Gloria Anzaldúa’s extraordinary Borderlands/La Frontera—and continues publishing today. Both these independent publishers emphasized bringing multicultural lesbian-feminist voices to readers.
Come explore this exciting period in lesbian-feminist literary communities with a distinguished panel: founder of Aunt Lute Books, Joan Pinkvoss; Aunt Lute author, ire’ne lara silva; founder of Firebrand Books, Nancy Bereano; and Firebrand author Cherríe Moraga. Julie R. Enszer will moderate the discussion. It will be an exciting evening discussing the books, passions, and people that shaped the lesbian print movement.
Author Updates
Geling Yan, author of White Snake, has gotten some support in the effort to get her film credit restored. The independent Chinese PEN awarded her its 2022 freedom of speech award and White Snake now has a French translation.
Kathya Alexander, an upcoming Aunt Lute author you should follow!
ire'ne lara silva, author of flesh to bone, has a lot of upcoming events irenelarasilva.wordpress.com
April 2023 6pm Reading featuring Luivette Resto, Angelina Saenz, and ire’ne lara silva, Tia Chucha’s, 12677 Glenoaks Blvd, Sylmar, CA.
April 12, 2023 Letras Latinas presents a symposium on Latinx Poetics with Ruben Quesada, Orlando Menes, Sheryl Luna, and ire’ne lara silva. Notre Dame University, South Bend, IN
April 28-30, 2023 Poetry at Round Top, Workshops and readings featuring Victoria Chang, Cyrus Cassels, ire’ne lara silva, Pamela Uschuk, and David Meischen. For more info: http://www.poetryatroundtop.org
Nancy Agabian, author of Me as her again, has new novel coming out in May. Follow her on Twitter for more.
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