Audre lorde biography poems about famous people

Audre Lorde never felt like she fit into a box — and any category she did identify with reflected just one sliver of who she was. “I am not one piece of myself,” she said in a 1979 interview.

“I cannot be simply a Black person and not be a woman too, nor can I be a woman without being a lesbian.”

READ MORE: 15 Inspiring Audre Lorde Quotes

The only way she felt she could express her identity was through poetry, which she started writing in middle school, becoming a published poet by the time she was 15.

But her works revealed a sensibility far beyond her age as they reflected themes of racism, sexuality, classism and homophobia.

Born in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood in 1934, the daughter of Caribbean immigrants called herself “Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet,” and she explored the depths of how all those facets were tied together.

She taught poetry in West Germany and New York City and became a leading voice, advocating for