Sarah Schulman, a New Yorker through and through, has been weaving lesbian stories into the fabric of literature for over four decades. Born in 1958, she was already scribbling at six, drawn by the tales of Anne Frank and Harriet the Spy.
Her first queer encounter came in 1975, when she found The Faggot, a musical by Al Carmines, alongside serious fare like Persona. As a student at Hunter College, she absorbed Audre Lorde’s pedagogical style, which would later echo through her own teaching career.
Living on the fringes of New York City in the 1970s and 80s, Schulman navigated the nascent gay community through the Oscar Wilde Bookshop and the Village Voice. Her early writing reflected a world where poetry readings were the primary social events, with figures like Audre Lorde and Adrienne Rich at the helm.
Despite her tumultuous academic experience, Schulman’s activism and writing flourished. Her work is now celebrated for its rich portrayal of lesbian life, offering hope to a new generation of writers.
