This was my first time listening to Lorde in audiobook form and Miles was the perfect person to read these essays. It never ceases to amaze me that the topics people like Lorde and Baldwin were writing about half a century ago are still so relevant today.

Audrey Lorde was a highly acclaimed Caribbean-American writer, poet, and activist. Her works often explored themes of race, gender, and sexuality and celebrated the strength of marginalized communities. Lorde's writing style is described as powerful, moving, and unapologetically honest. If you are a fan of poetry and want to delve into important societal issues, "A Burst of Life" is worth considering.

The self-described black feminist lesbian mother poet used a mixture of prose, theory, poetry, and experience to interrogate oppressions and uplift marginalized communities. She was one of the first black feminists to target heteronormativity, and to encourage black feminists to expand their understanding of erotic pleasure. She amplified anti-oppression, even as breast cancer ravaged her ailing body." — Evette Dionne, Bustle Magazine

This collection of essays is a call to build communities that nurture our spirit. Lorde announces the need for radical politics of intersectionality while struggling to maintain her own faith as she wages a battle against liver cancer. From reflections on her struggle with the disease to thoughts on lesbian sexuality and African-American identity in a straight white man's world, Lorde's voice remains enduringly relevant in today's political landscape.

Highly recommend.

I had to DNF this audiobook. It was too agenda driven for me. I felt like every other phrase was about some type of agenda, instead of sharing the importance of the topic. It was way too opinionated for my taste. Unfortunately, I would not recommend this book, but I do appreciate the copy in exchange for an honest review!

I have never read, or listened to, anything by this author before. This was shared with me from a book tour on Instagram and I was finally able to give this one a listen.

I need to go back through and find this author's other books. This was a great read, and the narrator was amazing. I usually struggle with audiobooks, but not with this one.

Highly recommend this one.

Loved this mix of Audre Lorde essays, interviews, speeches, and journals. I was expecting a larger hodgepodge, but the majority of it was the titular A Burst of Light, an essay/collection or journal entries about her battle with cancer. I was a bit nervous going in since she mentioned using alternative treatments, but in the end it was one of the better pieces I’ve ever read that discussed them, approaching them purely from a personal level and acknowledging flaws as well as successes. For anyone looking for a first hand perspective on being on the receiving end of the bigotry in the medical field, this is a great insight. The other essays were great and helped put words to ideas I’ve been grappling with about education and queerness; also highly rec this (and Lorde in general) for anyone interested in those topics. The one piece I was ambivalent on was the opening one, an interview about bdsm in the lesbian community. I didn’t care for the interviewer’s questions or approach and Lorde’s answers felt too puritatanical for myself. It’s not fully anti-bdsm, but I would recommend skipping it since it doesn’t add much of value. The main thing to know is she views sex as political and you can get that from other, better speeches and essays.

This was a really great read by someone who I had read snippets of in university. I really loved Lorde's ideas, she was incredibly intelligent and thought-provoking.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this ARC.

Inspiring. Enhancing perspective. Words to ignite your inner activist.
This work consists of journals, essays - they are so empowering. I had so much energy listening to the narrator speak Lorde's words.
Activism. Facts about the 1980's - American culture, Apartheid, patronizing from medical providers.
So inspiring for social change and justice. For equality in society. Demand medical providers to listen and respect their patients.
There are so many kernels of advice. Loved it.

I always knew Audre Lorde had a strong voice, and I had read her poetry and essays in the past, but I had never really listened to her work until I encountered this audio book. narrated by Robin Miles.
This collection of essays, released originally in 1988 and winner of the 1988 Before Columbus Foundation National Book Award, reflects Lorde's politics, her calls for equality and justice, and her keen observation of white feminism's marginalization of black women and their experiences. She shared her journey with cancer, distrust of the medical establishment, and her thoughts of her family.
This was a compelling audio book, and I recommend it highly.

This was my first experience with an Audre Lorde essay compilation, and I honestly not sure what I think. The narration was amazing, I’ve never heard anything by Robin Miles that isn’t. I think I’m just not the target demographic, and honestly a bit of a prude. That’s on me, and probably why O didn’t connect as much. Lorde’s writing is brilliant and cutting, and it was interesting to see a cross-section of her writing, many of which were lesser-known pieces form periodicals.

Essay, LGBTQIA, Social Justice, Feminism, US Politics, Memoir, Inspiring.

This was a terrific read/listen. The narrator, Robin Miles did a fantstic job. Even 25 years after her passing her words still pack a punch into impotant social justice issues. I highly recommend this audiobook, it was inspiring, and enlightening.

Special thank you to #NetGalley, #AudreLorde and #OrangeSkyAudio for sharing this digital copy, these are my honest thoughts on #ABurstOfLight. Also, a thank you to narrator #RobinMiles.

Why did I listen to A Burst Of Light?
My background includes a master's degree in women's studies so whenever I see a book by a feminist scholarship, I'm curious to pick it up. Especially if I have not read it before. A Burst of Light was first published in 1988 and was seen as a path breaking collection. It was a call for a move into more politics that included intersectionality. Now in 2022, this call for action is being re-released as an audiobook and when I saw it on Netgalley I was quick to pick it up.

What's the story here?
A Burst of Light is a collection of essays written by <strong>Audre Lorde</strong>. In these essays, she reflects on her battle with liver cancer, being a lesbian, and being African American in the political atmosphere of the time. She also encourages s more radical move into intersectional politics while also remembering to nature and care for ourselves. The themes of this collection remain relevant in present day society.

How did I like Burst of Light?
A Burst of Light was revolutionary when it was released. I found it to very enthralling and I felt like I learned more about Audre Lorde's raw feelings and thoughts on various topics. Reading this felt like a personal reflection of my own believes and where I stood with them. I couldn't fully relate to all the topics discussed but, I appreciated the honesty. Similarly, I appreciated her opinions even if I didn't fully agree with them. There is so much to digest here and it is almost like there is a piece of relevant information for everyone. Her words really do speak to her heart and her truth. This is how her legacy remains.

How is the narration?
A Burst of Light is narrated by Robin Miles. I felt like her voice gave life to Audre Lorde's words. She used just the right amount of passion and enthusiasm for me as a listener. I think that this will be a good way to introduce this work into a new generation.

It was honestly a joy to listen to this audiobook! As someone who has a hard time listening to audiobooks, I was absolutely captivated by the content as well as the narrator Robin Miles! Listening to the different essays of Audre Lorde, it was a glimpse into a piece of her life and some of the things she struggled with. One of the main takeaways for me was: WE ARE MORE ALIKE THAN WE ARE DIFFERENT!

In addition to her amazing advocacy work, she also documented her coming to terms with a diagnosis that she tried to avoid at all cost! It was truly interesting to listen to the narrator verbalize what Lorde wrote nearly 30 years ago pertaining to how she was dealing with the diagnosis and what it meant to her & her family. We hear some of her doubts, fears, acceptance, and resilience.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this amazing audiobook!

Anything I write in response to Audre Lorde's candor, vulnerability, service and brilliance in A Burst of Light will be inadequate. What I can say is that these essays and journal entries are both breathtaking and life-giving. I will return to this book many times, I know. This excellent audiobook edition will make the book easy to revisit in a variety of conditions. Thank you to OrangeSky Audio and NetGalley for access to the ARC.

✨ Review ✨ A Burst of Light and Other Essays by Audre Lorde; Narrated by Robin Miles

Essay collections are so hard to review because so much meat can lie within. This one was full on thoughts to chew upon. A collection of essays written by Lorde (I think all in the 1980s?) reflect upon intersectionalism and her Black feminist lesbian identity. She challenges us to find the things that not only link people together but the differences between them.

The main essay, A Burst of Light, reflects upon her early journey with liver cancer (the second cancer to impact her life) between approx. 1984-1987. Written as an edited set of journal entries, Lorde reflects on life and death, race and power, acceptance and grief, Black women and the American medical system and so much more.

This is the first I've read (well, listened to) of Lorde and I really appreciated it. It also stung as I listened to the pain and trauma that resonate as clearly in 1984 as as in 2022 -- it's hard to see that despite the change for the better, the many ways in which our society and fights for justice have stagnated in their gains. The audio was a great way to encounter this though I wish it would have been easier to take notes while listening. Highly recommend!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: feminist nonfiction, essay collection
Pub Date: Out now!

Thanks to OrangeSky Audio and #netgalley for an audio copy of this book!

This was a beautiful and sorrowful account of Audre Lorde’s battles with cancer, her reflections on the world around her, her children, her relationships. It included interviews and diary entry style writing and was pretty short. The entries were really beautifully read on audiobook by Robin Miles. It always shocks, but not surprises, me that these things written several decades ago are still so relevant, and just how much of the things I see in her writing we still see today.

If you say Robin Miles, I come a-runnin. Wow this was amazing. Uhm how am I just learning that Audre Lorde died the year i graduated from high school? Im behind.
Anyhoozle, such a well done collection with a ribbon that flows through each one.

Reading the words of Lorde are always an experience. She writes with such grace, forethought, understanding, rage, vulnerability, and love, that as a reader, I cannot help but to be bolstered by her depth. Her ruminations and insight are phenomenal; her dedication to the deconstruction, dismantling, and refashioning of ideals, notions, and societal perceptions, is powerful and allows her readers to enter into the intricate womb of her psyche.

Her veneration and the ways in which she shows reverence for the space that can be created for Black women of all creative backgrounds and across countries and oceans is inspirational. Lorde is a revolutionary, fearful and fearless in her fight for equality of life and expressions, for opportunity and love.

Reading these essays is intimate and is filled with power of the word that can be used to start conversations around issues that are still very much present in our societies and that through our differences lies the path to unity.

I love Audre Lorde's essay collection "Sister Outsider" and I feel like I get something different from it everytime I reread it. I really enjoyed this audiobook and I think Robin Miles did an excellent job at narrating this collection. Personally, I think I will gain even more from this through reading a physical copy of it, but that's not the fault of the book or the narrator, just personal preference.

<i>A Burst of Light: and Other Essays</i> is a collection of Lorde’s thoughts on the personal and the political in the final years of her life. There is a lot of talk about her cancer as she dealt with it. There is also a lot of talk about violence against the African-American community, and I had to remind myself that this was written 30-some years ago because it is just as relevant today. I felt like the interview included at the start of the book didn’t fit in with the rest of the essays. Robin Miles does a nice job narrating the new audiobook version of <i>A Burst of Light</i>.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.