Sexuality

Sexuality is present in this anthology as an additional layer of identity, besides things like ethnicity, gender, age, occupation, etc. Each author whose essays are published in Well-Read Black Girl is black, female, and writes for a living, however not all of their lived experiences are the same due to the diversity of identities represented. For some, like Barbara Smith, for example, sexuality is something which, once acknowledged, heavily informed not only how she viewed herself but also how she viewed other black artists.

The gay author James Baldwin, in openly portraying black homosexuality in his fictional works, acknowledged the role which sexuality plays in defining black masculinity and femininity. By challenging preconceived notions black communities may have about homosexuality, he helped those such as Smith understand the diversity of identities behind what they previously thought of as a homogenous community in terms of sexuality. Dhonielle Clayton, in...