And then I came across Audre Lorde, and it changed my perspective on the purpose of writing—why someone would write, or why someone would read. In terms of short fiction, I read a lot of Dionne Brand, who’s a Canadian poet-slash-novelist. Zadie Smith’s books taught me that you don’t have to have white protagonists, and people of color can relate to other people of color, versus relating only to white people. Dorothy Allison’s work is phenomenal. Deeply personal, and so good at portraying a culture and a community. And of course Leslie Feinberg’s Stone Butch Blues.
