Discover powerful poems by lesbian-feminist poet Pat Parker in this collection of her greatest hits

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.

Praise for Pat Parker

The poetry of Pat Parker reaches out to us anew and shakes our consciousness—fiercely. Cheryl Clarke, author of An Archive of Style

We have never needed Parker’s work more than NOW. It is absolutely immediate, searing, salving, saving, and NECESSARY.
Kazim Ali, author of The Voice of Sheila Chandra

Poems that breathe life through the lungs of their readers.
Mona Kareem, LA Review of Books

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.

Press Kit for Essential Poems by Pat Parker