Audre Lorde was born on February 18, 1934, to Caribbean
immigrant parents who had settled in Harlem. Lorde began her writing career
at an early age; her first poem was published in Seventeen while she
was still in high school. She later graduated from Columbia University and
Hunter college, then married and had two children in the 60s. Her first book
of poems, The First Cities, was lauded as
unique and thoughtful in its perspective on racial inequality. The Black Unicorn, her seventh book of poetry, is widely
considered to be her most revealing and accomplished work.
Not content to be known simply as a poet, however, Lorde also worked as an
educator and an activist. Until 1981, Lorde was professor of English at New
York City's John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She then went on teach at
Hunter College until 1987, where she was named Thomas Hunter Professor. As
an activist, Lorde was instrumental in forming fostering relations between
Afro-German and Afro-Dutch women and founding the Women of Color Press.
Even now, Lorde's writings on everything from racial inequality and sexism to
eroticism and lesbian parenting are widely read and discussed. Her voice,
unique in its passion, indignance, and wit, still speaks for anyone who
considers him or herself to be an outsider.
The Cancer Journals chronicled one of the many
struggles of her life. She lost her battle to breast cancer in 1992.
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