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Tongues on Fire: Caribbean Lesbian Lives and Stories
In this groundbreaking anthology, Caribbean women tell their personal stories of loving women. Through interviews and stories they reveal their hidden histories, their secret longings and sexual awakenings. Rosamund Elwin has put together a fine collection that includes well-known writers such as Michelle Cliff, Shani Mootoo and Makeda Silvera and also the voices of women who are not writers. Women who are mothers, poor or illiterate share their experiences with candour. From Trinidad to Toronto, these Caribbean lesbians are linked by their loud clear voices. As Rosamund Elwin writes in her introduction, "Though it can be argued that lesbian experiences have similarities across the globe, the circumstances of our lives, the ways of telling, the language used to tell, the words chosen and the rhythm of those words, make our individual stories different and interesting".
256 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 5, 2025
4.5
I wish the interviews were longer and explored more. There were times where something would be dropped and then just skimmed over and you’re like??? No actually can we please explore that?!?? The voices were so strong, it was hard to get enough. There was just SO much, this book could’ve been hundreds of pages longer and I still wouldnt have gotten tired tbh
I love this book so much. And yes, majority of this love comes from sentimentality as a fellow Caribbean lesbian but idc! It’s so refreshing to hear just from the average joe lesbian, especially within countries that you don’t hear from, not for the white audience. It’s unapologetic and earnest in what it is. It’s tragic and heartbreaking but also hopeful and comforting. And while the short stories aren’t the greatest to ever exist, I thought most were pretty good! I love the use of dialect and changing narratives. Some I would even love to see a full book about, honestly!
I’m so lucky to have a gf who hunted for a copy of this for me! I cried, I smiled, I WILL revisit often. Long live the lesbians!
I wish the interviews were longer and explored more. There were times where something would be dropped and then just skimmed over and you’re like??? No actually can we please explore that?!?? The voices were so strong, it was hard to get enough. There was just SO much, this book could’ve been hundreds of pages longer and I still wouldnt have gotten tired tbh
I love this book so much. And yes, majority of this love comes from sentimentality as a fellow Caribbean lesbian but idc! It’s so refreshing to hear just from the average joe lesbian, especially within countries that you don’t hear from, not for the white audience. It’s unapologetic and earnest in what it is. It’s tragic and heartbreaking but also hopeful and comforting. And while the short stories aren’t the greatest to ever exist, I thought most were pretty good! I love the use of dialect and changing narratives. Some I would even love to see a full book about, honestly!
I’m so lucky to have a gf who hunted for a copy of this for me! I cried, I smiled, I WILL revisit often. Long live the lesbians!
January 29, 2018
A good collection, it meant a lot to me that it was written and that I got to read it.
A lot of the autobiographies revealed a depressing amount of biphobia, some of it explicit and some of it subtle. That was disappointing, though it's definitely not a symptom of Caribbean lesbians or Caribbean lesbians of the diaspora. Just an old lesbian thing that I'd like to think has gotten better in the twenty years since this was published.
I liked the fact that the autobiographies were told plainly, in their own words, with very little editing. They were their stories and deserved to be told in their own words. I'm pretty sure a few of them were just transcriptions of conversations/interviews. That did make them disjointed and rambly at times, but it's more important to be heard the way they wanted to be.
I liked the short stories too, though I can't say they were particularly good? Desoto Wong's were beautiful, though.
Great little collection.
A lot of the autobiographies revealed a depressing amount of biphobia, some of it explicit and some of it subtle. That was disappointing, though it's definitely not a symptom of Caribbean lesbians or Caribbean lesbians of the diaspora. Just an old lesbian thing that I'd like to think has gotten better in the twenty years since this was published.
I liked the fact that the autobiographies were told plainly, in their own words, with very little editing. They were their stories and deserved to be told in their own words. I'm pretty sure a few of them were just transcriptions of conversations/interviews. That did make them disjointed and rambly at times, but it's more important to be heard the way they wanted to be.
I liked the short stories too, though I can't say they were particularly good? Desoto Wong's were beautiful, though.
Great little collection.
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December 12, 2007it was out of print. I ordered it from a small queer bookstore in philly and they received it in weeks.
It was a bit rough around the edges but it helped me understand the complexity of lesbian identity/relationships of caribbean descended women. It was a book that was validating to read. Especially since most of the caribbean holds very conservative views toward homosexuality.
It was a bit rough around the edges but it helped me understand the complexity of lesbian identity/relationships of caribbean descended women. It was a book that was validating to read. Especially since most of the caribbean holds very conservative views toward homosexuality.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews