Elana Dykewomon (; October 11, 1949 – August 7, 2022) was an American lesbian activist, author, editor, and teacher. She was a recipient of the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction.

Early life and education

Dykewomon was born Elana Michelle Nachman in Manhattan to middle class Jewish parents; her mother was a researcher and librarian, and her father was a lawyer. She and her family moved to

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

when she was eight. She studied fine art at Reed College in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

, earned a

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases. Background The Bachelor ...

in creative writing from the

California Institute of Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of bot ...

, and her

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...

from

San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different b ...

Books

In 1974, Dykewomon published her first novel, ''Riverfinger Women'', under her name of birth, Elana Nachman. Her second book, ''They Will Know Me By My Teeth'', released in 1976, was published under the name ''Elana Dykewoman'', "at once an expression of her strong commitment to the lesbian community and a way to keep herself 'honest,' since anyone reading the book would know the author was a lesbian." ''Fragments From Lesbos'', printed in 1981 "for lesbians only," was published under the author's current last name, "Dykewomon," in order "to avoid etymological connection with men." In the 1989 anthology of writing by Jewish women, ''The Tribe of Dina'', Dykewomon describes herself as "a

Lesbian Separatist Feminist separatism is the theory that feminist opposition to patriarchy can be achieved through women's separation from men.Christine Skelton, Becky Francis, ''Feminism and the Schooling Scandal'', Taylor & Francis, 2009 ,p. 104 Because much of ...

, descendant of the

Baal Shem Tov Israel ben Eliezer (1698 – 22 May 1760), known as the Baal Shem Tov ( he, בעל שם טוב, ) or as the Besht, was a Jewish mystic and healer who is regarded as the founder of Hasidic Judaism. "Besht" is the acronym for Baal Shem Tov, which ...

, typesetter, ...poet"

Periodicals

From 1987–1995, Dykewomon edited ''

Sinister Wisdom ''Sinister Wisdom'' is an American lesbian literary, theory, and art journal published quarterly in Berkeley, California. Started in 1976 by Catherine Nicholson and Harriet Ellenberger (Desmoines) in Charlotte, North Carolina, it is the longest ...

'', an international lesbian feminist journal of literature, art and politics, as well as contributing regularly to several other lesbian periodicals, including '' Common Lives/Lesbian Lives''. She was also a regular contributor to ''Bridges,'' a magazine of writing by Jewish women.

Awards and achievements

In 1997, ''Beyond the Pale'' won the Lambda Literary Award for

Lesbian Fiction Lesbian literature is a subgenre of literature addressing lesbian themes. It includes poetry, plays, fiction addressing lesbian characters, and non-fiction about lesbian-interest topics. Fiction that falls into this category may be of any gen ...

and the Ferro-Grumley Award for lesbian fiction. In 2004, ''Riverfinger Women'' was selected as #87 in The Publishing Triangle's list of 100 Best Lesbian and Gay Novels, by a panel of judges that included

Dorothy Allison Dorothy Allison (born April 11, 1949) is an American writer from South Carolina whose writing focuses on class struggle, sexual abuse, child abuse, feminism and lesbianism. She is a self-identified lesbian femme. Allison has won a number of a ...

Samuel R. Delany Samuel R. "Chip" Delany (, ) (born April 1, 1942), is an American author and literary critic. His work includes fiction (especially science fiction), memoir, criticism, and essays (on science fiction, literature, sexuality, and society). His ...

Lillian Faderman Lillian Faderman (born July 18, 1940) is an American historian whose books on lesbian history and LGBT history have earned critical praise and awards. ''The New York Times'' named three of her books on its "Notable Books of the Year" list. In addi ...

M.E. Kerr Marijane Agnes Meaker (May 27, 1927 – November 21, 2022) was an American writer who, along with Tereska Torrès, Tereska Torres, was credited with launching the lesbian pulp fiction genre, the only accessible novels on that theme in the 1950s. ...

, Sarah Schulman, and Barbara Smith. In 2018, the

Golden Crown Literary Society The Golden Crown Literary Society (GCLS) is an American non-profit organization established in February 2004 as a literary and educational organization for the study, discussion, enjoyment, and enhancement of Lesbian literature. In 2020, in order ...

awarded ''Riverfinger Women'' with the Lee Lynch Classic Award because it is an "essential part of American literary history, LGBT literature, politics, and popular culture." Dykewomon was awarded the

Jim Duggins Outstanding Mid-Career Novelists' Prize The Jim Duggins Outstanding Mid-Career Novelists' Prize is an American literary award, presented to two writers, one male and one female, from the LGBT community to honour their body of work. First presented by the Saints and Sinners Literary Festi ...

by the

Saints and Sinners Literary Festival Saints and Sinners LGBTQ+ Literary Festival is an alternative literary festival specializing in LGBTQ+ literature. It is held in various locations around the French Quarter neighborhood in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana each March. Overview ...

in 2009.

Personal life and death

Dykewomon lived in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, and taught at her alma mater San Francisco State. She was married to Susan Levinkind until her death from

Lewy body dementia Lewy body dementias are two similar and common subtypes of dementia—dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD). Both are characterized by changes in thinking, movement, behavior, and mood. The two conditions have sim ...

in 2016. Dykewomon died of esophageal cancer at her home on August 7, 2022, aged 72, shortly before she was to view a live-streamed reading of ''How to Let Your Partner Die'', a play she had written about Levenkind's illness and death.

Works

Books

Novels

* * *

Poetry and short story collections

* * * * *

Other writings

Prose * * * * * * * * * * Poetry *"I had a dream..." and "Even My Eyes Became Mouths" in * *"The Census Taker Interviews the 20th Century" and "The Vilde Chaya and Civilization" in — (1992). ''Bridges: A Journal for Jewish Feminists and Our Friends''. Seattle, WA. 3 (1). *"New England Cemetery" and "diving, i kiss" in * * *Various in * *Foreword, ''"''Yahrzeit," "Butch Breasts at Fifty," and "Should I Tell My Gynecologist" in * *

Essays

* * * * * * * * * * *

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dykewomon, Elana 1949 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American poets 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American essayists 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American poets 21st-century American women writers American LGBT novelists American LGBT poets American feminist writers American lesbian writers American people of Polish-Jewish descent American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent American women essayists American women novelists American women poets California Institute of the Arts alumni Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from esophageal cancer Descendants of the Baal Shem Tov Feminist studies scholars Jewish American novelists Jewish feminists LGBT Jews Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction winners Lesbian feminists Lesbian separatists Novelists from California Novelists from New York (state) Poets from California Poets from New York (state) Radical feminists Reed College alumni San Francisco State University alumni San Francisco State University faculty Writers from Manhattan Writers from Oakland, California