Women are powerful and dangerous.

Black writers, of whatever quality, who step outside the pale of what black writers are supposed to write about, or who black writers are supposed to be, are condemned to silences in black literary circles that are as total and as destructive as any imposed by racism.

How a diamond comes into a knot of flame How a sound comes into a word, coloured By who pays what for speaking. Some words are open. Love is a word another kind of open — As a diamond comes into a knot of flame I am black because I come from the earth's inside. Take my word for jewel in your open light.

I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.

...my experience with people who tried to label me was that they usually did it to either dismiss me or use me.

Part of the lesbian consciousness is an absolute recognition of the erotic within our lives and, taking that a step further, dealing with the erotic not only in sexual terms.

Guilt and defensiveness are bricks in a wall against which we all flounder; they serve none of our futures.