Afrekete

by Catherine E. McKinley

Destined to become a classic in the tradition of the best-selling Black-Eyed Susans/Midnight Birds and Erotique Noire/ Black Erotica. Afrekete gives collective voice to the tradition of black lesbian writing. In the vast and proliferating area of both African-American and lesbian and gay writing, the work of black lesbians is most often excluded or relegated to the margins. Afrekete meshes these seemingly disparate traditions and celebrates black lesbian experiences in all their variety and depth.

Elegant, timely, provocative, and inspiring, the fiction, poetry, and nonfiction in Afrekete -- written in a range of styles -- engage a variety of highly topical themes, placing them at the center of literary and social discourse. Beginning with "Tar Beach," an excerpt from Audre Lorde's celebrated memoir Zami: A New Spelling of My Name, which introduces the character Afrekete, the collection also includes such prominent writers as Michelle Cliff, Carolivia Herron, Jewelle Gomez, and Alexis De Veaux. Other pieces are by Jacqueline Woodson, Sapphire, Essence editor Linda Villarosa, and filmmaker Michelle Parkerson, with other contributions by exciting new writers Cynthia Bond, Jocelyn Taylor, Jamika Ajalon, and Sharee Nash.

Afrekete is a collection whose time has come. It is an extraordinary work, one of lasting value for all lovers of literature. A fresh, engaging journey, Afrekete will both inform and delight.

Contents:

Tar beach by Audre Lorde
American dreams by Sapphire
Testimony of a naked woman by Jocelyn Maria Taylor
Water call by Helen Elaine Lee
Tuesday, August third by Jacqueline Woodson
Dear Aunt Nanadine by Alexis De Veaux
Odds and ends by Michelle Parkerson
What has yet to be sung by Malkia Cyril
The old lady by Carolivia Herron
Wink of an eye by Jewelle Gomez
Kaleidoscope by Jamika Ajalon
Queen for 307 days by Jackie Goldsby
Where will you be? by Pat Parker
Screen memory by Michelle Cliff
Revelations by Linda Villarosa
Ruby by Cynthia Bond
Dare by Melanie Hope
Take care by Sharee Nash
Ode to Aretha by Evelyn C. White
Today is not the day by Audre Lorde

Genres: LGBT, Queer, Lesbian, Anthologies, Nonfiction, Short Stories, Poetry

336 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1995

Reviews

[Fikri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Catherine E. McKinley introduces this book as such:

”The contributors and these editors identify as lesbian, gay, zamis, dykes, queers, Black, African, African-American, biracial—and often may use these terms and others interchangeably. And while sexuality, or race for that matter, is and is not always at the center of their work, both deeply inform the writer’s vision. The work featured is written in a range of styles, a breadth of aesthetics reflecting the birthing and meshing of seemingly disparate artistic sensibilities and traditions: Black and queer, as well as others.

And it does deliver exactly on that, though I found myself wishing for tighter curation as the variation among the stories was too much for me to fully enjoy the whole collection. Some clear favourites emerged though: I loved Jacqueline Woodson’s Tuesday, August Third and learnt a lot from Jackie Goldsby’s Queen for 307 Days.

I’m conscious that I’m reviewing this book with the immense privilege of having read it almost 24 years after it was first published, now in an age where queer Black literature is a lot more readily found (though ofc the publishing scene is still far from ideal). This means that say, the Biblical back-and-forth in Linda Villarosa’s Revelations — as the author and her detractors trade quotes from scripture on homosexuality — represents discourse so familiar to me now it no longer comes across as revelatory. I’m also aware that I’m approaching it as a non-Black reader, i.e. arguably not the primary audience for which this book is intended, so I do appreciate its importance situated in the time and place in which it was published even if it might not personally speak to me.

[HeavyReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been years since I read this book, but I was really excited to find it at a used bookstore in New Orleans and sad and perplexed to find that it had been removed from the circulation of the New Orleans public library. What's up with that?

I remember being impressed...

[Camille · Rating 5 out of 5]

my cup of Tea

[Khetsia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A remarkable read. It allowed me to explore fellow Black lesbians’ experiences through a variety of different lights and shades. This is definitely one of those books I will go back to, adding to my internal musings about what it is like to be not only Black, not only Black and a woman, but a Back woman who loves (and only loves) women. I am extremely grateful to the writers for their vulnerability and for having the courage to try and make sense, in their own ways of life at the intersection of three complex identities

[Jannice Newson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually read short story collections so this was a nice change of pace! I appreciated the variety of stories and poems and academic writing. I read this book with a friend who pointed out that there is a theme of Blackness in contrast or in conjunction with whiteness which was not expected by either of us. Dear Aunt Nadine and Take Care were my favorites.

[phia · Rating 4 out of 5]

wowowow i could not put this book down.
i don’t care about curation or whatever ppl talk about when they critique anthologies, but there were maybe 1-3 works i didn’t click with or found kinda out of place/meh. but other than that, there were so many great pieces, some that imma definitely go back to and reread bc they’re so wow. overall really enjoyed this and it kept me engaged even in the works i wasn’t a huge fan of!
8.5/10

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Afrekete is an anthology of twenty entries of essays, stories and poems collected and edited by the team of Catherine E. McKinley and L. Joyce DeLaney. It gives a collective voice to the tradition of black lesbian writing.

For the most part, this collection of short stories was written rather well. Afrekete is a wonderful collection of short stories, essays, and poems that center on a fictional titular character and through her the varied forms of literature that are produced. By and large, the selections are encompassing and covers a myriad of themes from abortion, abuse, madness, sexism, racism, sexuality to societies more acceptance of Blacks with lighter skin.

Like most anthologies there are weaker contributions and Afrekete is not an exception. Comparatively speaking, some entries are stronger than others, but the weaker ones are few and far in between. While not every piece is of equal quality, the majority deserved to be read.

All in all, Afrekete is a wonderful collection of essay, short stories, and poems about the Black Lesbian experience. It is a fresh, engaging journey that will both inform and delight.

[Ryan Mishap · Rating 4 out of 5]

Important, startling stories and essays.

[maya strong · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book cradled my heart with a tender calloused hand thats the best i can describe it. a statement on who we have always been, and all we can and will be

[Jenia · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing and very dear to my heart

[Angélique (Angel) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 Stars. As an aspiring writer who is also a Black same gender loving woman, I found this collection intimately inspiring and restorative. The works in this collection are diverse, sensual, authentic, poetic, and provocative. They are both comforting and challenging. Soothing yet jarring. I highly recommend this book not only to other Black SGL women but also to anyone who is interested in diverse perspectives on love, identity, justice, and the struggle of living fully.