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Still Water
African American, Cabo Verdean/Wampanoag/Ioway all converge in Jewelle Gomez’s exquisite collection of poetry that explores the legacies of family heritage, history, and identity. Gomez contemplates her sexuality, multi-ethnic and class identities, and what it means to experience love, loss, grief, friendship, and solidarity with other women during times of political upheaval. Gomez’s poems are a gift: at times sumptuous and impassioned, and always striking in their clarity.
110 pages, Paperback
First published June 6, 2022
1 person is currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
Jewelle Gomez
50 books268 followersJewelle Gomez (b. 1948 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American writer and cultural worker.
Gomez was raised by her great grandmother, Grace, who was born on Indian land in Iowa to an African American mother and Ioway father. Grace returned to New England before she was 14 when her father died and was married to John E. Morandus, a Wampanoag and descendent of Massasoit, the sachem for whom Massachusetts was named.
Growing up in the 1950s and 1960s she was shaped socially and politically by the close family ties with her great grandmother, Grace and grandmother Lydia. Their history of independence as well as marginalization in an African American community are threaded throughout her work. Her high school and college years were ripe with Black political and social movements which is reflected in much of her writing. Subsequent years in New York City placed her at the heart of Black theatre including work with the Frank Silvera Writers Workshop and many years as a stage manager for off Broadway productions.
There she became involved in lesbian feminist activism and magazine publication. She was a member of the Conditions (magazine) Collective, a lesbian feminist literary magazine. More recent writing has begun to reflect her Native American (Ioway, Wampanoag) heritage. Her work lives at the intersection of these multiple ethnicities, the ideals of lesbian/feminism and class.
Gomez is the author of seven books, but is most known for the double Lambda Literary Award winning novel The Gilda Stories (Firebrand Books, 1991). This novel, which reframes the traditional vampire mythology, taking a lesbian feminist perspective, is an adventure about an escaped slave who comes of age over two hundred years. According to scholar, Elyce Rae Helford, "Each stage of Gilda's personal voyage is also a study of life as part of multiple communities, all at the margins of mainstream white middle-class America." (UTOPIAN STUDIES, 3.22.01)
She also authored the theatrical adaptation of the novel Bones and Ash which toured 13 U.S. cities performed by the Urban Bush Women Company (1996). The book, which remains in print, was also issued by the Quality Paperback Book Club in an edition including the play.
Her other books include Don't Explain , a collection of short fiction; 43 Septembers , a collection of personal/political essays; Oral Tradition , poems collected and new.
Her fiction and poetry is included in over one hundred anthologies including the first anthology of Black speculative fiction, Dark Matter: A Century of African American Speculative Fiction , from Warner Books, edited by Sheree R. Thomas; Home Girls: a Black feminist Anthology from Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press and Best American Poetry of 2001 edited by Robert Haas.
Gomez has written literary and film criticism for numerous publications including The Village Voice, The San Francisco Chronicle, Ms. Magazine and Black Scholar.
She's been interviewed in periodicals and journals over the past 25 years including Advocate, where writer Victoria Brownworth discussed her writing origins and political interests (September 21, 1993). In the Journal of Lesbian Studies (Vol. 5, #3) she was interviewed for an article entitled "Funding Lesbian Activism," which linked her career in philanthropy with her political roots. She's also interviewed in the 1999 film produced for Public Television, After Stonewall, directed by John Scagliotti.
Her newest work includes a forthcoming comic novel, Televised, which recounts the lives of survivors of the Black Nationalist movement and was excerpted in the anthology Gumbo edited by Marita Golden and E. Lyn Harris.
She is also authoring a play about James Baldwin being written in collaboration with Harry Wate
Gomez was raised by her great grandmother, Grace, who was born on Indian land in Iowa to an African American mother and Ioway father. Grace returned to New England before she was 14 when her father died and was married to John E. Morandus, a Wampanoag and descendent of Massasoit, the sachem for whom Massachusetts was named.
Growing up in the 1950s and 1960s she was shaped socially and politically by the close family ties with her great grandmother, Grace and grandmother Lydia. Their history of independence as well as marginalization in an African American community are threaded throughout her work. Her high school and college years were ripe with Black political and social movements which is reflected in much of her writing. Subsequent years in New York City placed her at the heart of Black theatre including work with the Frank Silvera Writers Workshop and many years as a stage manager for off Broadway productions.
There she became involved in lesbian feminist activism and magazine publication. She was a member of the Conditions (magazine) Collective, a lesbian feminist literary magazine. More recent writing has begun to reflect her Native American (Ioway, Wampanoag) heritage. Her work lives at the intersection of these multiple ethnicities, the ideals of lesbian/feminism and class.
Gomez is the author of seven books, but is most known for the double Lambda Literary Award winning novel The Gilda Stories (Firebrand Books, 1991). This novel, which reframes the traditional vampire mythology, taking a lesbian feminist perspective, is an adventure about an escaped slave who comes of age over two hundred years. According to scholar, Elyce Rae Helford, "Each stage of Gilda's personal voyage is also a study of life as part of multiple communities, all at the margins of mainstream white middle-class America." (UTOPIAN STUDIES, 3.22.01)
She also authored the theatrical adaptation of the novel Bones and Ash which toured 13 U.S. cities performed by the Urban Bush Women Company (1996). The book, which remains in print, was also issued by the Quality Paperback Book Club in an edition including the play.
Her other books include Don't Explain , a collection of short fiction; 43 Septembers , a collection of personal/political essays; Oral Tradition , poems collected and new.
Her fiction and poetry is included in over one hundred anthologies including the first anthology of Black speculative fiction, Dark Matter: A Century of African American Speculative Fiction , from Warner Books, edited by Sheree R. Thomas; Home Girls: a Black feminist Anthology from Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press and Best American Poetry of 2001 edited by Robert Haas.
Gomez has written literary and film criticism for numerous publications including The Village Voice, The San Francisco Chronicle, Ms. Magazine and Black Scholar.
She's been interviewed in periodicals and journals over the past 25 years including Advocate, where writer Victoria Brownworth discussed her writing origins and political interests (September 21, 1993). In the Journal of Lesbian Studies (Vol. 5, #3) she was interviewed for an article entitled "Funding Lesbian Activism," which linked her career in philanthropy with her political roots. She's also interviewed in the 1999 film produced for Public Television, After Stonewall, directed by John Scagliotti.
Her newest work includes a forthcoming comic novel, Televised, which recounts the lives of survivors of the Black Nationalist movement and was excerpted in the anthology Gumbo edited by Marita Golden and E. Lyn Harris.
She is also authoring a play about James Baldwin being written in collaboration with Harry Wate
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 27, 2022
Love the book cover and even more I loved the book. This is a very important book exploring Jewelle Gomez’s lesbian identity and background. Not only is she black, but she is also Native American —Wampanoag, Iowan. The poem “Alcatraz Reunion” is part of an installation in the Native American exhibit on Alcatraz.
I especially love the poem “Coloured Lesbian Poem.” The word Coloured must be denoting mixed race but alluding to The South African category— but I may be wrong. It’s a wonderful exhilarating lesbian poem though and her particular point of view makes it even better.
So, I hug the word lesbian tight to
my breasts, where my lover rests
her head at the end of the day
The wondering about her ancestors is also beautiful. We all wonder. Her exploration of a language that has been lost in “Only 104 Words.”
From The Buckskin Dress— for my great grandmother, Gracias
Although it has been said
they live no more I want to hear
the sound of her dancing
with the Native women in a
dust filled circle,
proud of the work they wear
I especially love the poem “Coloured Lesbian Poem.” The word Coloured must be denoting mixed race but alluding to The South African category— but I may be wrong. It’s a wonderful exhilarating lesbian poem though and her particular point of view makes it even better.
So, I hug the word lesbian tight to
my breasts, where my lover rests
her head at the end of the day
The wondering about her ancestors is also beautiful. We all wonder. Her exploration of a language that has been lost in “Only 104 Words.”
From The Buckskin Dress— for my great grandmother, Gracias
Although it has been said
they live no more I want to hear
the sound of her dancing
with the Native women in a
dust filled circle,
proud of the work they wear
November 12, 2022
If I could give this a thousand stars, to lift this up from earth, and send to all...I'd do that.
Honestly one of the best collections I have ever read on multi ethnic Indigineity.
Love and respect to you forever, Jewell Gomez.
Thank you from the rainbow of my past, present and future ancestors.
May your days ahead keep opening up to you their gifts and shared gifts.
Honestly one of the best collections I have ever read on multi ethnic Indigineity.
Love and respect to you forever, Jewell Gomez.
Thank you from the rainbow of my past, present and future ancestors.
May your days ahead keep opening up to you their gifts and shared gifts.
December 26, 2022
Voices from the past come together to remind you they are still here and you don’t remember everything.
January 20, 2024
"For who could put a force of nature in a box and hope it to remain natural?"
March 18, 2025
Resonate, beautiful imagery.
June 19, 2022
These poems explore heritage, history, identity and belonging. Gomez’s voice is clear and authentic. I found the poems easy to understand. I was hoping for more depth to the poems than I found.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews