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ARC OF LOVE: An Anthology of Lesbian Love Poems
The broadest, most erotic, most sophisticated collection of lesbian love poetry exploring all aspects of women loving women, this book includes contributors ranging from Sappho to Audre Lorde, Joy Harjo, June Jordan, and a new generation of Latina and Asian-American, African-American, and Native American poets.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 22, 1996
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March 21, 2021this has been my bedtime book for a while! I think I've been reading it intermittently since christmas, for which my mom gave it to me as a present, which, lol, thanks for being a good sport and buying me this somewhat obscure collection of lesbian love poetry that I asked for, mom!
the editors really sought out a range of voices here--for some of these poets, this was their first time being published, and they also strove to keep it from being a predominantly white collection; included are black poets, indigenous poets, latinx poets, asian american poets, and multiracial poets, and it never feels checkboxy, and it's never a case of 'oh this is the ONE black poet.' the collection is also varied in terms of socioeconomic status; there are poems written during the writer's incarceration; there are poems by disabled poets; and so on. it really is quite a broad collection.
the only stipulation was that the poets had to be okay with being included in an anthology of lesbian love poems; the editors did not exclude bisexual women, but some bisexual poets to whom they reached out declined to be included because they did not feel this to be the most accurate place for their work to be housed. one also gets the sense that this is not explicitly a trans-exclusionary work, although I will say that I don't think (don't quote me on this, because there are a LOT of biographies at the end) any trans women poets were included.
I'm glad I own and read this! many of them poems are really wonderful. many of them didn't do it for me, but that's sort of what you expect with any anthology. a nice read. I found the structure a little silly (the book is divided into four sections: the Light of love, the Order of love, the Vexation of love, and the Endurance/Evolution/Ecstasy of love), but that's fine, lesbians get to be silly!!!! there are also more negative poems (and not just in the "negative"/conflict aspect of the 'arc') than I probably would have included if I had been the editor, but I acknowledge that poems about negative aspects of lesbian life and love deserve their place, too. I just remember finishing the Vexation section and crying and needing to give my girlfriend a big hug, lol.
yay for lesbians, yay for love, yay for poetry.
the editors really sought out a range of voices here--for some of these poets, this was their first time being published, and they also strove to keep it from being a predominantly white collection; included are black poets, indigenous poets, latinx poets, asian american poets, and multiracial poets, and it never feels checkboxy, and it's never a case of 'oh this is the ONE black poet.' the collection is also varied in terms of socioeconomic status; there are poems written during the writer's incarceration; there are poems by disabled poets; and so on. it really is quite a broad collection.
the only stipulation was that the poets had to be okay with being included in an anthology of lesbian love poems; the editors did not exclude bisexual women, but some bisexual poets to whom they reached out declined to be included because they did not feel this to be the most accurate place for their work to be housed. one also gets the sense that this is not explicitly a trans-exclusionary work, although I will say that I don't think (don't quote me on this, because there are a LOT of biographies at the end) any trans women poets were included.
I'm glad I own and read this! many of them poems are really wonderful. many of them didn't do it for me, but that's sort of what you expect with any anthology. a nice read. I found the structure a little silly (the book is divided into four sections: the Light of love, the Order of love, the Vexation of love, and the Endurance/Evolution/Ecstasy of love), but that's fine, lesbians get to be silly!!!! there are also more negative poems (and not just in the "negative"/conflict aspect of the 'arc') than I probably would have included if I had been the editor, but I acknowledge that poems about negative aspects of lesbian life and love deserve their place, too. I just remember finishing the Vexation section and crying and needing to give my girlfriend a big hug, lol.
yay for lesbians, yay for love, yay for poetry.
May 5, 2016
The editor really tried to make this a diverse collection, which I appreciate.
June 11, 2021
Love love love love love love! Nice to have lots of lesbian poems, on love especially, compiled into one book.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews