"Zami: A New Spelling of My Name" by Audre Lorde

"Every woman I have ever loved has left her print upon me, where I loved some invaluable piece of myself apart from me — so different that I had to stretch and grow in order to recognize her. And in that growing, we came to separation, that place where work begins. Another meeting."

Themes: Coming-of-age; mother-daughter relationship; identity; intersectionality; racism; colorism; class; sexuality; gender; reality vs fiction; mental health; sapphism

Discussion Questions:

1. The bio-mythology is told chronologically, but how else did Lorde mark the passage of time?

2. How does Lorde’s perception of her mother change as she grows up? How does it affect their relationship?

3. When and how does “reality vs fiction” come up in the book? With respect to Lorde’s mother? With respect to Lorde’s relationship with queer white women (who view their status the same as queer Black women)?

4. Discuss the depictions of mental health in “Zami” (OCD, schizophrenia, therapy, etc).

5. ⁠Did you find that the book read more like a memoir, or more like fiction?

6. For those who have read “Stone Butch Blues,” how do these works compare

7. Which of the five senses did you find Lorde engaged more in this work?

8. ⁠Lorde coins the term “sister-outsider” in this book (two years after the publication of “Zami,” she releases a collection of essays under the title “Sister Outsider”). Discuss the term and its connection to intersectionality?

   1. Is everyone familiar with “intersectionality”? What questions do you have about it?

   2. How do her intersectional identities affect Lorde’s relationship to other queer women (Black and/or white)? To her colleagues? To her friends and roommates (like Rhea)?

9. In addition to racism, colorism is also discussed throughout “Zami,” especially in reference to Lorde’s parents/family. How does colorism specifically impact how Lorde and her family members are treated?

10. ⁠Discuss Lorde’s relationship with Muriel. What was good about it? What was bad? What was neutral?

11. Why do you think Lorde ended the work with her first queer relationship with a Black woman? Do you think it is coincidental or purposeful?

12. ⁠In the epilogue, we find out what “Zami” means. What was your reaction? Do you think it is an apt title for this work?