Essential Poems by Pat Parker

Renowned African-American, lesbian-feminist poet and performer Pat Parker wrote five collections of poetry during her lifetime, Jonestown & Other Madness, Movement in Black, Womanslaughter, Pit Stop, and Child of Myself. Parker's poems appeared in numerous journals, newspapers, and anthologies, and are collected in The Complete Works of Pat Parker. Known for her electric performances of her poems, including on the album Where Would I Be Without You from Olivia Records and Lesbian Concentrate, Parker enchanted audiences with her fire for justice and her belief in change. Parker's most loved poems are now collected in this accessible volume. Essential Poems by Pat Parker introduces new audiences to Parker's fire, passion, tenderness, and vision for the world.

Pat Parker was born in Houston, TX, in 1944 and moved to Los Angeles, CA after she graduated high school. She lived in the San Francisco bay area from 1965 until her death. Parker died in 1989 from complications of cancer. Her partner of nine years, Martha Dunham, and their daughter, Anastasia Dunham-Parker-Brady, survived her as well as Cassidy Brown who she co-parented. SaraEllen Strongman is an interdisciplinary scholar and assistant professor of Afroamerican and African Studies at the University of Michigan.