PHOTO ESSAY BY DONNA ACETO | In honor of Black History Month and what would have been Audre Lorde’s 82nd birthday, Hunter College’s Kaye Playhouse was the venue for a book launch party for Dr. Gloria Joseph’s “The Wind Is Spirit: The Life, Love and Legacy of Audre Lorde,” Joseph was Lorde’s surviving partner when the famed poet succumbed to cancer at the age of 58 in 1992. Joseph’s book, told in the griot style of African oral tradition, is a combination anthology and biography that brings together a wide range of prominent authors and activists who submitted essays, reflections, stories, poems, memoirs, and photos that illuminate how Lorde’s literary vision and her turbulent and triumphant life inspired so many. The book also includes conversations with Lorde and Joseph’s own personal photos of her life and travels with Lorde.
The February 18 event drew a distinguished roster of guests including (top left) New York City First Lady Chirlane McCray, Lorde’s daughter, Dr. Elizabeth Lorde-Rollins, poet and performance artist Stacyann Chin, poet G. James Winston,and author and journalist Linda Villarosa, whose family’s new publishing house was responsible for the publication of Joseph’s book.
Musical entertainment was provided by the Dream Spinners.
