Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet.
Audre Lorde chose these five words to describe herself. She refused the confines of any single identity, just as she refused to compress the truth of her life into any single genre. In ZAMI: A NEW SPELLING OF MY NAME (Penguin Classics; On-sale: 2/3/26), she coined the term “biomythography,” a fusion of autobiography, history, and myth that expanded the possibilities of Black storytelling for generations to come.
This Black History Month, Penguin Classics is proud to present a new deluxe hardcover Penguin vitae edition of ZAMI: A NEW SPELLING OF MY NAME. This book not only chronicles a life, but also illuminates the intersectional tapestry of Black womanhood, queer identity, and creative resilience. As award-winning poet Evie Shockley writes in her foreword: “You are in for a wild ride, but you will arrive in one piece: Lorde has this vehicle firmly in hand. Your destination is the brave, beautiful, brash, brilliant woman we know Audre Lorde becomes. This is the story of her becoming.”
You can start reading on NetGalley here – please be in touch with your address to receive a finished copy in January.
In ZAMI: A NEW SPELLING OF MY NAME, Audre Lorde reflects on how her identity was formed by her relationships with women throughout her life, from her early memories of her mother attempting to shield her from the racism and sexism ingrained in American society to the solidarity she found in lesbian communities in downtown New York in the 1950s and among women whom she worked beside. With candor and trenchant yet simple detail, Lorde paints an intimate portrait of her life, granting readers a window into the formative experiences of one of the greatest writers and feminist thinkers of the 20th century.
Thank you for considering Black History Month coverage of this genre-fluid memoir from legendary writer Audre Lorde.
