Lesbian Writing Collectives

Writing collectives/groups have played an integral part in lesbian literary history, and this special issue of Sinister Wisdom seeks to interrogate the role they have played in supporting our personal writing, as well as their impact on the larger lesbian literary community. In this issue of Sinister Wisdom, guest editors S. (Stephanie) Andrea Allen and Lauren Cherelle are seeking personal essays, stories, interviews, oral histories, poetry, short academic papers, and other original writing and art focused on lesbian writing collectives.

Organizing questions for this issue include: What lesbian writing collectives have supported your writing? How do lesbian literary collectives help foster your creativity? How have lesbian writing collectives helped to improve your writing/writing journey? What has been your experience facilitating or hosting writing collectives? How does your collective find members? What are the guiding principles of your writing collective? How do lesbian writing collectives counter systems of oppression? What challenges has your writing collective/group faced? How have you addressed those challenges? What lessons can we learn from lesbian writing collectives/groups of the past? What technological innovations have you used to create/facilitate/host your writing collective? Has your writing collective/group collaborated with other writing collectives? How has your writing collective supported your local community? We are especially interested in hearing about your successes and your accomplishments, so tell us what has worked, but don’t be afraid to tell us what didn’t.

Submit to Sinister Wisdom's themed issue on Lesbian Writing Collectives by June 1, 2019.

Guest Editors:

S. (Stephanie) Andrea Allen, Ph.D., is a native southerner, writer, scholar, and educator. She works as an English instructor at a local university, co-directs a literary non-profit for Black women writers, and is publisher and editor-in-chief at BLF Press. Her work can be found in Lez Talk: A Collection of Black Lesbian Short Fiction, Sinister Wisdom, and in her debut collection of short stories and essays, A Failure to Communicate. She is also co-editor of Solace: Writing, Refuge, and LGBTQ Women of Color, and Black From the Future: A Collection of Black Speculative Writing (Forthcoming 2019)

Stephanie holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from Purdue University, an M.A. in English from Auburn University, and a B.A. in English from Columbus State University. She is currently working on a second collection of short stories and her first novel.

Lauren Cherelle uses her time and talents to traverse imaginary and professional worlds. She manages and writes for Resolute Publishing, an independent publisher that helps transform dreams into realities for women. Lauren co-edited Solace: Writing, Refuge, and LGBTQ Women of Color (2017) and co-directs the Black Lesbian Literary Collective. She is the author of the f/f novel, The Dawn of Nia (2016), and she has written short stories for Lez Talk: A Collection of Black Lesbian Short Fiction (2016) and G.R.I.T.S: Girls Raised in the South — An Anthology of Queer Womyn’s Voices & Their Allies (2013). Her stories reflect the lives of Southern Black girls and women.

Lauren holds an MBA from the University of Tennessee and writing certifications from the University of Louisville. During the week, she works in nonprofit development. On the weekends, she hangs up her fundraising hat to focus on personal writing and family. Join Lauren on Twitter: @laurencre8s and @blacklesfic.

"Empowerment comes from ideas."

Gloria Anzaldúa

“And the metaphorical lenses we choose are crucial, having the power to magnify, create better focus, and correct our vision.”
― Charlene Carruthers

"Your silence will not protect you."

Audre Lorde

“It’s revolutionary to connect with love”
— Tourmaline

"Gender is the poetry each of us makes out of the language we are taught."

― Leslie Feinberg

“The problem with the use of language of Revolution without praxis is that it promises to change everything while keeping everything the same. “
— Leila Raven