Surveys a decade of the attempt to reconstruct and understand the meaning and value of butch-femme relations for the contemporary lesbian, drawing on oral history, fiction, poetry, and fantasy. -- From the Amazon

Editor Lesléa Newman has collected the work of both well-known and emerging poets to create an anthology of some of the finest writers of any gender or sexual orientation writing poetry today. The probing fierceness of Adrienne Rich's "Love Poem," the stirring sensual incantation of Ellen Bass's "Praise," the intensely felt tenderness of Dorothy Allison's "Reason Enough to Love You," are just a few examples of the rich talent displayed in this volume. These poets have written daring confessions of love, sorrow, anger, and joy. Each poem is an elaborate confirmation of the resilience of the human spirit, and the ability to transform experience--including the struggle against the societal taboo of same-sex love--into brilliant poetry.

A sonnet sequence of 167 poems tells the passionate story of a love affair between two women, from the erotic electricity of their first acquaintance to the tough-minded tranquility of their breakup

"Drawing on Dykewomon's impressive body of poetry, What Can I Ask: New and Selected Poems 1975-2015 assembles into a single volume poems from Dykewomon's three published collections, They Will Know Me By My Teeth (Megaera Press, 1976), Fragments from Lesbos (Diaspora Distribution, 1981), and Nothing Will Be As Sweet as the Taste (Onlywomen Press, 1995), as well as a selection of newer, uncollected poems. Dykewomon continues asking questions and reaching for answers, demonstrating the power of poetry to comfort and enrage, inspire and arouse." -- Publisher's description.

An anthology which bridges the poetic and the lesbian cultures developed in contemporary England and North America.

This is the work of an important poet. Widely recognised for her insightful, even incendiary, prose theory and compelling fiction, Elana Dykewomon's brilliantly crafted, elegant poetry is showcased here. Nothing Will Be As Sweet As The Taste collects new and earlier verse. Steeped in the intense energy of lesbian activism, these poems contextualise a vital period in 20th century history. Intimate, ironic or explicitly sexual, this is riveting poetry. Elana's is truly an original voice, balancing vision with hilarity, intellect with warmth.