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8th out of 206 books
—
52 voters
The Collected Poems
by
Audre Lorde
"These are poems which blaze and pulse on the page."—Adrienne Rich "The first declaration of a black, lesbian feminist identity took place in these poems, and set the terms—beautifully, forcefully—for contemporary multicultural and pluralist debate."—Publishers Weekly "This is an amazing collection of poetry by . . . one of our best contemporary poets. . . . Her poems are...more
Paperback, 512 pages
Published
February 17th 2000
by W. W. Norton & Company
(first published 1997)
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The Collected Poems of Audre Lord by Audre Lorde
Lord, Audre (2007) New York, New York: W.W. Norton
Target Audience: 6-up - varying by poem
All of Audre Lorde’s poems are rich, vivid, and full of life. They paint pictures of every life experience imaginable. However, this is why one must be weary when giving this book to a child. There are many poems that are not intended for young children so they must be assigned cautiously. Nonetheless, these poems “tell it like it is” as they don’t shy away fro...more
Lord, Audre (2007) New York, New York: W.W. Norton
Target Audience: 6-up - varying by poem
All of Audre Lorde’s poems are rich, vivid, and full of life. They paint pictures of every life experience imaginable. However, this is why one must be weary when giving this book to a child. There are many poems that are not intended for young children so they must be assigned cautiously. Nonetheless, these poems “tell it like it is” as they don’t shy away fro...more
Coal
I
is the total black, being spoken
from the earth's inside.
There are many kinds of open
how a diamond comes into a knot of flame
how sound comes into a words, coloured
by who pays what for speaking.
Some words are open like a diamond
on glass windows
singing out within the crash of sun
Then there are words like stapled wagers
in a perforated book - buy and sign and tear apart -
and come whatever will all chances
the stub remains
an ill-pulled tooth with a ragged edge.
Some words live in my throat
breeding...more
I
is the total black, being spoken
from the earth's inside.
There are many kinds of open
how a diamond comes into a knot of flame
how sound comes into a words, coloured
by who pays what for speaking.
Some words are open like a diamond
on glass windows
singing out within the crash of sun
Then there are words like stapled wagers
in a perforated book - buy and sign and tear apart -
and come whatever will all chances
the stub remains
an ill-pulled tooth with a ragged edge.
Some words live in my throat
breeding...more
Neighbors
We made strong poems for each other
exchanging formulas for our own particular magic
all the time pretending
we were not really witches
and each time we would miss
some small ingredient
that one last detail
that would make the spell work
Each one of us
too busy
hearing our other voices
the sound of our own guards
calling the watch at midnight
assuring us
we were still safely asleep
so when it came time to practice
what we had learned
one grain was always missing
one word unsaid
so the pot did not boil
the...more
We made strong poems for each other
exchanging formulas for our own particular magic
all the time pretending
we were not really witches
and each time we would miss
some small ingredient
that one last detail
that would make the spell work
Each one of us
too busy
hearing our other voices
the sound of our own guards
calling the watch at midnight
assuring us
we were still safely asleep
so when it came time to practice
what we had learned
one grain was always missing
one word unsaid
so the pot did not boil
the...more
Mar 08, 2009
Alaina
marked it as to-read
I read some of these poems online in order to write a cento about lesbian forbidden love, and I immediately fell in love with what I read. I must have more!
A What a wonderful book. This contains all of the collections of poetry of Audre Lorde; she is such a fantastic, powerful, amazing writer.
One of my very favorite poets. Her work is just plain wonderful.
These poems are full of imagery, and very powerful.
A beautiful, elegant and powerful poet.
I haven't read the entire collection yet
yes, yes, yes
4.8
read
love it
Did not read, could not remember why I ordered it.
I recently picked up this wonderfully large collection of Lorde's poetry and found myself tearing up while standing in a rush-hour subway car. She has a way of taking you away and showing you the importance of what she is saying with her words.
Brilliant. Intense. So many great and thought-provoking words. A few of my favorites: "On a night of the full moon"; "If You Come Softly"; "Eulogy". But, really the whole collection is amazing.
Audre Lorde always said it best. Her poems carried me through dark times, but I find solace in them in bright moments now, too.
It took a while for me to get into her poetry, but there are a few in here that I regard as my favorites of all time.
I don't know why I keep thinking that reading giant volumes of poetry will work for me. It never does.
i picked this up again. brillant poetry. just the thing to take with me on the train to montreal.
I am sad to say that Lorde's poetry doesn't move me as much as her prose. Ah well.
it's audre...what would you like me to say? READ IT!
Some of the most original, sumptuous poetry ever written.
this is an amazing collection!!!
Amazing read.
May 21, 2013
Caitlin Snodgrass
marked it as to-read
May 21, 2013
Joe DeMarini
marked it as to-read
May 20, 2013
Katie
marked it as to-read
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Lorde's poetry was published very regularly during the 1960s — in Langston Hughes' 1962 New Negro Poets, USA; in several foreign anthologies; and in black literary magazines. During this time, she was politically active in civil rights, anti-war, and feminist movements. Her first volume of poetry, The First Cities (1968), was published by the Poet's Press and edited by Diane di Prima, a former cla...more
More about Audre Lorde...
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“It does not pay to cherish symbols when the substance lies so close at hand.”
—
7 people liked it
“There is a timbre of voice
that comes from not being heard
and knowing / you are not being
heard / noticed only
by others / not heard
for the same reason.”
—
4 people liked it
More quotes…
that comes from not being heard
and knowing / you are not being
heard / noticed only
by others / not heard
for the same reason.”
Dec 07, 2010 09:21am