Along with the hilarious and “only in New York” stories came the moments where the city stripped me of so many comforts, left me broke and broken more than I’d ever been before. While the New York I inhabited and the one of Audre Lorde’s life looked radically different in most respects, in Zami: A New Spelling of My Name, Lorde nonetheless captures so much of the city’s gritty vibrancy and its unrelenting pace, whether good or insufferable.įor me, New York was the city that tested my willingness to contend with myself, with others, and with elements you cannot begin to foresee until you find yourself on a subway platform with a baby squirrel-sized rat running an inch in front of your feet and a man older than your father offering you *all* his food stamps in exchange for your phone number (these were, thankfully, two separate incidents). And while deciding to return to graduate school after a 5-year hiatus certainly comes with its own challenges, it was the challenge of New York I’ve found myself clinging to. So great, in fact, that I can’t pass up the opportunity entirely.Īfter seven years and nearly as many apartments, I left New York. In the spirit of relying on ancestral wisdom, centering QTPOC voices, wellness, and just generally leveling up, we believe that the Lorde has already gifted us with the tools we need for our survival.Īs a writer who recently moved out of New York, the temptation is great to contribute to the genre of “Leaving New York” essays. Year of Our (Audre) Lorde is a monthly analysis of works by queen mother Audre Lorde as they apply to our current political moment.

The Autostraddle Encyclopedia of Lesbian Cinema.LGBTQ Television Guide: What To Watch Now.

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