Poetry In Motion: Lesbians Take Their Words on Tour

In the following pages, meet the black, lesbian poets who are touring the country with a message about beauty, fluid form, and the transformative power of poetry.

LOVE the poet, Cave Canem, t'ai freedom, and Solrose and Punany, and others will takes center stage for the second annual Revival, Black Lesbian Poets Tour making stops in D.C., Brooklyn, Chicago, and Philadelphia. The Revival hosts a night of music, libation, and word — all in a salon-styled concert.

"It was really interactive," said LOVE the poet, author of the new book, Black Marks on White Paper. "The audience was just as much a part of the stage as we are. It was a give-and-take process that allowed for something different to happen. I think lives were changed."

The tour is sponsored by The Rainbow Collective, Poets & Writers, and The Center for Gay and Lesbian Studies. Here are the stops on the tour:

Today: Washington, D.C., with Bettina Judd
Friday, 2011: Brooklyn, N.Y.. with R. Erica Doyle
Saturday: Philadelphia, Pa.,  with E. Kairo Miles
October 14, 2011: Chicago, Ill., with Patience Soprano

But if you can't get to a show, meet the women and some of their best work on the following pages.