Audre Lorde

You know you've arrived when you become the subject of a Google Doodle, as poetess Audre Lorde did on February 18th this year.

But before that, Lorde was one of the most vocal voices in U.S. feminist poetry, remarkable in particular for her ability to articulate a transsectional message. The University of Colorado posted a short bio I encourage you to check out.

You can hear a reading of her poem "A Woman Speaks" below

 Mohja Kahf

"Poet and scholar Mohja Kahf was born in Damascus, Syria. Her family moved to the United States in 1971, and Kahf grew up in the Midwest. She earned a PhD in comparative literature from Rutgers University and is the author of the poetry collection Emails from Scheherazad (2003) and the novel The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf (2006).
 Kahf’s experiences growing up in the United States shaped her perceptions of the differences and similarities between the cultures of her home and adopted countries. Her poetry is an amalgam of both Syrian and American influences informed not only by American free verse … but also by a lush energy that draws on the heart of the Arabic oral tradition and Arabic poetry.” Kahf sometimes satirizes stereotypes about Muslim women—she has tackled hairstyles, sex, and clothing."

(Bio from American Women Writers of Muslim Heritage).

I couldn't find any recording of the set poem (Hijab Scene #7) but I'm sure you'll enjoy this reading of another of Kahf's poems.