She Has a Name by Kamilah Aisha Moon was a finalist for both the 26th Annual Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Poetry and the Audre Lorde Award for Lesbian Poetry from the Publishing Triangle in 2014.
She Has a Name
Kamilah Aisha Moon
The opening pages of She Has a Name identify the collection as a “biomythography,” a term created by Audre Lorde to describe a narrative based on myth and history, fact and fiction. Kamilah Aisha Moon’s biomythography tells the story of a young woman with autism from multiple points of view. The speakers in these poems—sisters, mother, father, teacher—pursue answers to questions science can’t yet answer: “Autism, the one-drop rule for minds / we strain to understand, the catch-all…” While seeking to understand, the speakers yearn to protect the young woman—“The last thing / I ever wanted was to let her / down,” says the Father. Whether protector or questioner, each voice strives to understand what autism means to his or her own life.
“Names,” from She Has a Name:
Heirlooms more sacred than shedding quilts or a tarnished pocket watch, they crown babies ripening like new versesin the same epic song.
Watch the Book Trailer
Listen to Kamilah Aisha Moon read for SR Pod/Vod Series
Read an Interview with Kamilah Aisha Moon for s[r]blog
View Pictures from Kamilah Aisha Moon’s She Has a Name Book Party