REVIEW BY GLO DALEY

s a person of almost no
academic orientation, un-
like the editors and some
of the writers, I approached _
Lesbian Communities with
some wariness, fearing a bit
of a dry read. I was, happily,
quite wrong in my prejudice.
This book presents a broad
spectrum of views and experi-
ences about what we loosely
call “lesbian communities”...
and what an amazing, varied

 

Clearly, this can only be a sam-
pling of communities. However,
it covers many of the possibili-
ties and potentialities of old and
new ways that lesbians were
and are able to cometogether to
support living, working, playing
and problem-solving.

Editors Esther Rothblum and
Penny Sablove have gathered
the words of women from many
diverse lesbian communities
including womyn who are ur-
ban, country, young, old, radical,
conservative, Japanese, African

virtual communities.

Highlights for me were the
surprising piece by Elena, Dyke-
woman, in which she draws
comparisons between churches
and lesbian communities, com-
ing up with some specific and
down-to-earth ways we might
fimction better for the good of
the group if we looked to see

 

and colorful spectrum to behold.

American, and even a couple of —

 

PhD and Penny Sablove
$29.95 soft cover. 189 pages.
The Haworth Press 2005

A Lambda Literary Award
Finalist

what churches might have to of-
fer which we (as lesbians) don’t
necessarily. That’s a very open-
minded and brave proposition
for someone who, with a radical
feminist reputation, also identi-
fies as an atheist and a Jew.

In another work by Jane
Dickie et al. on the conversa-
tions between the 2nd and 3rd
Wave feminists, the writers talk
of .“Speaking across Genera-
tions: A Radical Act.” Rachel
Gazda of this group writes,

“Traditionally in the patriarchy,
generations are not supposed to
talk to each other. The younger

5 generation is supposed to rebel

  lesbian tammunitir.-5

Fesiiunls, lllls, and the Internet‘

against the older generation

— that is the response, distance is
communicated. We listened to
women’s stories; we recorded
them. That is a powerful pro-
cess. It is intimate and real and
so many of us are changed
through this way of being.”

One group talked of keep-
ing their community together
through “myth making” and ,“high
play,” concepts that seem quite
useful and, to my mind, deserve
more study, contemplation and
checking out Kathleen Liddle
wrote about the continuing rele-
vance of feminist bookstores and
their importance as a center.

This book is loaded with im-
portant information, ideas, and
wisdom. As Susan Krieger says
in her article, “there is no one
view or definition of lesbian com-
munity; there never can be  I am
grateful to all other women who, -
with their lives  speak up, who
say “here I am,” who attempt to
form bonds with other lesbians

- both individual couple bonds and
social bonds that extend beyond
the couple. These are women
whose past lovers become friends,
who feel a unique and exciting
kinship with other women who
also love women, who burn with
a love that still often dares not
speak its name.”V

 
  

‘ Glo Daley is a longtime cre-
..; ator and member of lesbian
community in Huntington.

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