| Title | : | Mouths of Rain: An Anthology of Black Lesbian Thought |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1620975769 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781620975763 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 224 |
| Publication | : | First published February 23, 2021 |
| Awards | : | Lambda Literary Award LGBTQ Anthology (2022) |
Using “Black Lesbian” as a capacious signifier, Mouths of Rain includes writing by Black women who have shared intimate and loving relationships with other women, as well as Black women who see bonding as mutual, Black women who have self-identified as lesbian, Black women who have written about Black Lesbians, and Black women who theorize about and see the word lesbian as a political descriptor that disrupts and critiques capitalism, heterosexism, and heteropatriarchy. Taking its title from a poem by Audre Lorde, Mouths of Rain, gathers writers including Alice Dunbar-Nelson, Barbara Jordan, and Audre Lorde to address pervasive issues such as misogynoir and anti-blackness while also attending to love, romance, “coming out,” and the erotic.
Mouths of Rain brilliantly maps a genealogy of Black lesbian works from the pre-Harlem Renaissance to contemporary writers sparking new modes of thinking about the intellectual inheritance of Black lesbians.
Mouths of Rain: An Anthology of Black Lesbian Thought Reviews
-
From the very first page I knew I was going to adore this anthology, and yet it still managed to exceed my expectations! I'm not a huge nonfiction reader and in general it takes me quite some time to really get into anthologies, but Mouths of Rain was a whole different story and I loved my time reading it! Mouths of Rain features a plethora of fantastic Black lesbian writers, all with unique perspectives on various aspects of life and I loved the mix of nonfiction (reflective pieces and memoirs; essays; thought pieces), fiction (short stories) and poetry within. My only slight issue with the book was that a few of the essays had so much overly academic writing which made them less accessible and quite hard to read at times. This was exacerbated by the bad formatting in the eARC that I had, but of course I am not factoring the formatting into my review or rating and I have already preordered a physical copy so that I can transfer my highlights and annotations over and re-read it all over again! Highly recommend this anthology!
Thanks to Netgalley and The New Press for an eARC copy in return for an honest review! -
4 stars. My only gripe is that the way this is organized feels a bit all over the place. The flow of it was a bit awkward but other than that I loved it. It’s super relatable and a lot of the essays had me in my feelings from how much I related to them. I liked a lot of the writing from the contributors in this and some of the poems were fantastic. This was a very good read and I need a physical copy because there was a lot that I would love to annotate and read again.
-
Ugh...I found this to be overly dramatic, and very woo-woo in a way I don't have the patience for. I have never read a book that was both boring and extra at the same time, but I'll give an extra star for that unique achievement!
ALSO: it's pretty surprising seeing how this was released in 2020, but outside of a few nods to Pauli Murray, there's very little fluidity about the types of lesbians they discuss (read: not just cis women.) It wasn't TERFy exactly, but just very absent of any useful thoughts about gender, I thought. -
4 stars!!! (coming out Feb 23!!!)
**ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.**
#MouthsofRain #NetGalley
Pros:
+ an amazing gathering of lesbian, queer, feminist, and Black voices
+ intersectional non-fictional and fictional stories
+ so many new-to-me Black lesbian creators
+ read Audre Lorde for the first time (wow, I've been missing out!)
+ just a sheer deluge of IMPORTANT topics I hadn't previously been aware of but need to know (Universities refusing Black professors' health-based placement requests, the historical context of Black lesbian/queer phrases, Black lesbian/queer women throughout history, how Black lesbians are left out of movements DESPITE BEING INTEGRAL the entire time, how Afrofuturism reframes Black experiences, etc.)
+ a variety of content (academic essays, poetry, memoir, short stories, opinion pieces)
+ the inclusion of Black lesbians from all over the world (not just from the US)
Cons:
- to be completely honest, quite a few of the more complicated academic essays were hard to get through (elaborate syntax made it feel sloggy)
TW: homophobia, racism, misogyny, murder, assault -
Mouths of Rain: An Anthology of Black Lesbian Thought edited by Briona Simone Jones
This book was life affirming. It’s a compilation of essays, poems, prose, letters, and articles written by Black lesbians and queer folks. It spans decades - from Harlem Renaissance poet Angelina Weld Grimke to contemporary Black lesbian feminist scholar Alexis Pauline Gumbs. It encompasses pieces about the power of the erotic, spirituality, interlocking oppressions, coming and being out, and Black queer futures. There wasn’t a piece in this anthology that I didn’t love. Incredible. I need you all to read this.
5/5⭐️ -
One of the best books I read all year, an absolute MUST read. I will be shoving it into the hands of every queer friend I have a very long time.
-
This one made me feel SEEN as a Black queer woman who is navigating love, grief, SURVIVAL, and notions of the future. I loved the structure - a great mix of academic writing, poetry, and short stories. Such deep reflection that explores the diversity of Black lesbianism.
-
I receive an ARC from Netgalley
I remember the first time I read Audre Lorde’s poem New Year ’s Day and the last stanza said ‘’ I am deliberate and afraid of nothing.’’ And this has always been my motto even before I knew she was a Lesbian so black lesbian feminist thought has been at the forefront of how I have lived my life.
In the introduction it says “This collection is an offering. In it I aspire to trace the long history between black women because I have come to recognize that our love stories have been buried beneath our activism’”... and I can’t think of a better way to put it
This is a stunning collection of Black lesbian feminist thought from various authors from all walks of life and different time periods. It gives an insight on how Black Lesbian feminists thought has been the backbone of various movements from the civil rights movements to the BLM, aside from that there is a softness to it in the reimagining of what love should be and especially for black women who are often undervalued in this society. There are essays, poems and short stories from both famous Black lesbian feminists and the less famous ones. This collection addressed identity politics, oppression, compulsory heterosexuality and most of all imagines a radical future, new and better ways to love from the point of view of Black lesbian thinkers. This anthology, I think, would be a good starting point for anyone who wants to find black feminist thought without the back breaking and time consuming research, I was very pleased with the biographies at the end which opens one up to find even more Black lesbian feminists
Thank you so much for the arc Netgalley -
Brilliant and breathtaking read- I’ve left with a long “to read” list of queer black women writers. You can’t really “finish” this anthology, it asks to be in continual reading studying and learning.
-
To see more reviews check out
MI Book Reviews.
I got an ARC of this book from the author.
I was stoked for this book. I needed it as soon as I read the title. I always see white lesbian writing, so getting Black lesbian writing was a need in my life.
The issue is, I just didn’t get this anthology. I know I am not the target audience, that is not the issue. My issue is it went from poetry to academic pieces to essays to short fiction to memoir. It was so all over the place that I was often lost to what I was reading and how to engage with it. I feel like this would have been better as a series of anthologies, each focusing on a genre or two so it really could dig into the genre and hit just the right audience.
The writing itself was pretty fantastic. There were essays I devoured. The memoirs always got me. It was often hard to tell what was memoir and what was short story though. There were some very clear short stories, but some could have been memoir. Not having this context was difficult. Kept me at arms length.
I knew there would poetry excepts at the very least based on the title and the name of some of the contributors. I figured I could skip those and be fine, or attempt them if they were short enough. The issue is there was so much poetry. SO MUCH. I felt like I ended up skipping half the book just so I could even pretend I understood what was happening.
So my main issue is the editing and compiling of materials. This is a clear example of why I don’t like anthologies. They are so scattered and make it hard to engage. The writing itself and the authors were great when I could engage. It just felt like this was not the best way to show case things. -
"If it were possible
to place you in my brain,
let you roam
around in and out
my thoughts waves--
you would never
have to ask why do you love me?
This morning as you slept,
I wanted to kiss you awake--
say "I love you" til your brain smiled and nodded
"yes" this woman does love me.
Each day the list grows--
filled with the things that are you
things that make my heart jump--
Yet, words would sound strange;
become corny in utterance."
"Sunshine," by Pat Parker
I am always seeing white lesbian publications and essays, so reading a Black lesbian anthology is exactly what I needed in my life right now. The book celebrates short stories and poems highlighting all aspects of the Black lesbian experience.
In the essay, "Three for the Price of One: Notes from a Gay, Black Feminist," Anita Cornwell explains her experience identifying as Gay. She delves into the misconception that people feel you have to fit into a box as a "femme" or a "stud," and the damaging effects of labeling a lesbian woman. Anita discusses her role of joining the 1950's Womyn's Movement and how Black women were excluded from the tight relationship many white women in the movement had. She states:
"Still, I do believe that most white people simply do not realize what a devastating effect racism has on Black people in general and on Black womyn in particular. And, obviously, the Black Lesbian is usually the most victimized of all. Perhaps one reason that white womyn do not realize just how crippling racism is, is the most black women seem so strong to them." -
Read this book right now. I checked this out from the library and am confident that I am the first person to check it out since it’s a paperback in pristine condition. It’s extremely important that queer people and really anyone read this anthology of works by black lesbians. You will learn so much! Read widely and read books by people like you and unlike you. This anthology covers a wide variety of topics—race, gender, classism, sexuality, the past, the future—through a wide variety of written mediums—poetry, short stories, essays, plays. It has everything. Finding written work or representational work of any kind that encompasses specific intersectional identities is difficult. Luckily, Jones has done the hard work of compiling brilliant thoughts by black lesbians into this anthology. I now have a new book that I love and will definitely reread and annotate and a long list of black lesbian authors and their works to add to my reading list.
-
Mouths of Rain is my first anthology I've received and read from NetGalley, and I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity. It took me awhile to get through because I like to read these collections one work at a time, but I enjoyed it so much and learned so much in the process. It's divided into five sections: Uses of the Erotic, Interlocking Oppressions and Identity, Coming Out and Stepping Into, The Sacred, and Radical Futurities. I will be buying my own copy of the book because I believe it's one book I could read again and again and learn something new every time. I cannot recommend this anthology enough, and I hope Briona Simone Jones gets the recognition she deserves for the work she put into this.
-
4.5 stars
As an anthology, I really did enjoy "Mouths of Rain" there was incredible diversity in thought, time period and works gathered to construct this anthology. I definitely think that this is something I would like to pick up as a hardcover and read all over again.
Where this anthology may lose readers because of the structure, in terms of how this work is compiled, I do think it is an incredibly valuable read and something I would recommend to anyone who is looking to read more Queer, specifically Black queer, non-fiction and doesn't know where to start.
Thank you to NetGalley and The New Press for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.. -
One learns best from one whose personal experience is recounted. The stories, poems and essays give glimpses into the lives of lesbians and the women who love them. Some are lauded, others are made to feel inadequate or abused by non-accepting parents. This is a great read. Gives insight into the thoughts and experiences of lesbians.
-
Received ARC from NetGalley for review.
The poetry in this collection was fantastic. I was also impressed with the different styles of writing and how they were combined within one work. That being said those twisting styles personally did not make reading it more enjoyable. The premise and purpose of this book was great, I just wasn’t grabbed as hard as I thought I would be. -
Thank you NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book. Poetry is touch and go for me but I was very interested in reading about the Black lesbian experience. Some of the poems in here were really powerful but overall I’m appreciative of the transparency.
-
Truly beautiful and life changing but also sexy. I enjoyed every page and learned several new things with each chapter. I never wanted to put it down. Covering everything from erotic to identity politics truly shows how complex life is.
-
This was an anthology just as the title says of several authors.
-
"The erotic functions in several ways, and the first is in providing the power which comes from sharing deeply any pursuit with another person. The sharing of joy, whether physical, emotional, psychic, or intellectual, forms a bridge between the sharers which can be the basis for understanding much of what is not shared between them, and lessens the threat of their difference." - Audre Lorde (black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet)
"We have a right as a people who are not just female, who are not solely black, who are not just lesbians, who are not just working class, or workers - that we are a people who embody all these identities, and we have a right to build a defined political theory and practice based upon that reality." - Barbara Smith
Currently on my knees, kissing the floor of the library to thank the lesbian deities for allowing me to find this god damn gem of an anthology. I devoured this thing, it opened my mind, I felt deep kinship with the authors, understanding, shared beauty, anger, awe, surprise, etc. etc. etc.
Thank you to the editor for compiling these works; the selections were phenomenal. There were maybe two pieces I didn't enjoy, but overwhelmingly this anthology introduced me to so many beautiful, experimental, revolutionary, and pertinent voices.
The works of Black Lesbians have been forcibly excluded from the narrative for much of lgbtq+ popular history, literary history, and (white) Feminist history, etc.
And, though the absence of these writers has left Feminists/Lesbians/Everyone with a gaping soul hole (why does my chest hurt? racism, bro), this collection has the potential to begin patching that hole and bringing long overdue recognition to and celebration of Black Lesbian thought. As a white Lesbian who enjoys reading about feminism, culture, and lesbians, the ideas represented were novel and have been so healing. Especially Lorde's essay on erotic joy, as quoted above.
I hope others can find this anthology and derive as much pleasure, curiosity, joy, understanding, and excitement as I did. If you are a gal loving pal (or anyone else, tbh), pick this one up from your local library asap.
My favorite pieces:
"The Myth and Tradition of the Black Bulldagger" by S'Diane Bogus
"Not Feminine as in straight, but Femme as in Queer #AF" by Kaila Story
"Wolfpack" by Mecca Jamilah Sullivan (one of the best short stories I've ever read)
"Uses of the Erotic" by Audre Lorde
"My Lover is a Woman" by Pat Parker (great poet)
"Jambula Tree" by Monica Arac de Nyeko
"A meeting of the Sapphic Daughters" by Ann Allen Shockley (phenomenal short story about the deep racism in white feminist and lesbian groups)