Judy Grahn
Encyclopedia
Judy Rae Grahn is an American
poet
. She has written many lesbian
/ feminist works.
The Women's Press Collective (WPC) began in Oakland
in 1969, with a barrel mimeograph machine
, and ultimately was closed in 1978 due to the vandalization of the press and equipment. Diana Press was an offshoot of the WPC. WPC titles included A Woman is Talking to Death, Lesbians Speak Out, and Edward the Dyke.
Grahn is co-director and core faculty of the Women's Spirituality MA program starting at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Palo Alto, California in September 2008 (pending WASC approval.) She is also editor of the online academic journal Metaformia, A Journal of Menstruation and Culture, www.metaformia.org. Her work centers on reclamation of stories, values and methods of Sacred Feminine traditions. Her book, Blood, Bread, and Roses: How Menstruation Created the World (Beacon Press, 1993) outlines a new origin theory of culture blossoming from women’s peaceful blood rituals, especially menstruation. Her poetry collections include 'The Queen of Wands', 'The Queen of Swords', 'She Who', and 'The Common Woman Poems'. Grahn was recently invited to present her work on Metaformic Consciousness in Chile at Tremonhue, Centro de Espiritualidad y Salud Integral, where she met with women of varied backgrounds and religions from seven countries, who are engaged in remythologizing the feminine in society. In the spring of 2008, she went on tour with Animal Prufrock
and Anne Carol, opening for Ani DiFranco
in a series of concerts on the West Coast and Canada.
She is the subject of an essay in Adrienne Rich
's On Lies, Secrets, and Silence: Selected Prose, 1966-1978, 1979.
Some of Grahn's poetry—including her most recent work—is now available online and can be downloaded through her website, www.judygrahn.org.
Other publications include:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
. She has written many lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
/ feminist works.
Activities
Judy Grahn is a poet who writes about women's lives, including lesbian experience. She was a member of the Gay Women's Liberation Group, the first lesbian feminist collective on the west coast, founded around 1969. The collective established A Woman's Place, a bookstore, and The Women's Press Collective, an all-woman publisher.The Women's Press Collective (WPC) began in Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
in 1969, with a barrel mimeograph machine
Mimeograph machine
The stencil duplicator or mimeograph machine is a low-cost printing press that works by forcing ink through a stencil onto paper....
, and ultimately was closed in 1978 due to the vandalization of the press and equipment. Diana Press was an offshoot of the WPC. WPC titles included A Woman is Talking to Death, Lesbians Speak Out, and Edward the Dyke.
Grahn is co-director and core faculty of the Women's Spirituality MA program starting at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Palo Alto, California in September 2008 (pending WASC approval.) She is also editor of the online academic journal Metaformia, A Journal of Menstruation and Culture, www.metaformia.org. Her work centers on reclamation of stories, values and methods of Sacred Feminine traditions. Her book, Blood, Bread, and Roses: How Menstruation Created the World (Beacon Press, 1993) outlines a new origin theory of culture blossoming from women’s peaceful blood rituals, especially menstruation. Her poetry collections include 'The Queen of Wands', 'The Queen of Swords', 'She Who', and 'The Common Woman Poems'. Grahn was recently invited to present her work on Metaformic Consciousness in Chile at Tremonhue, Centro de Espiritualidad y Salud Integral, where she met with women of varied backgrounds and religions from seven countries, who are engaged in remythologizing the feminine in society. In the spring of 2008, she went on tour with Animal Prufrock
Animal Prufrock
Animal Prufrock is an openly lesbian and transgender singer-songwriter. S/he is best known for being the co-creator of the band Bitch and Animal....
and Anne Carol, opening for Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, guitarist, poet, and songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums, and is widely considered a feminist icon.-Biography:...
in a series of concerts on the West Coast and Canada.
She is the subject of an essay in Adrienne Rich
Adrienne Rich
Adrienne Cecile Rich is an American poet, essayist and feminist. She has been called "one of the most widely read and influential poets of the second half of the 20th century."-Early life:...
's On Lies, Secrets, and Silence: Selected Prose, 1966-1978, 1979.
Some of Grahn's poetry—including her most recent work—is now available online and can be downloaded through her website, www.judygrahn.org.
Writing
Poetry:- Edward the Dyke and Other Poems (1971)
- A Woman is Talking to Death (1974)
- She Who (1977)
- The Queens of Wands (1982)
- The Work of a Common Woman: Collected Poetry (1964-1977) (1984)
- The Queen of Swords (1990)
- love belongs to those who do the feeling (2008)(Winner, Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Poetry)
Other publications include:
- "Ella in a Square Apron, Along Highway 80" (1971)
- Another Mother Tongue: Gay Words, Gay Worlds (1990, on the history of lesbian and gay culture) (Stonewall Book AwardStonewall Book AwardSponsored by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table of the American Library Association , the Stonewall Book Award is for LGBT books...
, 1985) - Blood, Bread, and Roses: How Menstruation Created the World (1994)
- Highest Apple: Sappho and the Lesbian Poetic Tradition (1985).
- Mundane's World (1988).
Judy Grahn Award for Lesbian Nonfiction
In 1997, Publishing Triangle, an association of lesbians and gay men in publishing, established the Judy Grahn Award for Lesbian Nonfiction to recognize the best nonfiction book of the year affecting lesbian lives.External links
- A Simple Revolution: Community Dialogue with Judy Grahn website created by Aunt Lute BooksAunt Lute BooksAunt Lute Books is a multicultural feminist press whose mission is to "publish literature by women whose voices have been traditionally under-represented in mainstream and small press publishing" and "distribute literature that expresses the true complexity of women’s lives and the possibilities...
honoring the history and legacy of the Bay Area lesbian movement - Grahn, Judy article in glbtq: An Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Culture
- Modern American Poetry University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignThe University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
website on Grahn: biographical information, analyses of several poems, excerpts from interviews. Companion to the Anthology of Modern American Poetry. - Metaformia: A Journal of Menstruation and Culture
- Serpentina website founded by Dianne Jenett and Judy Grahn to support research, projects, and social activism in women's spirituality.