Tributes have poured in following the death of Oakland-based esteemed lesbian writer/activist Elana Dykewomon, who passed away Aug. 7 at age 72, according to EuroWeekly.
She received the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction in 1998 for Beyond the Pale, and was well known for her work editing Sinister Wisdom, an international lesbian feminist journal that covers literature, art and politics. Other works include Risk, They Will Know Me By My Teeth and Fragments from Lesbos.
According to The Jewish News of Northern California, the 2022 Bay Area Playwrights Festival premiered Dykewomon's first play, How to Let Your Lover Die. The play follows the character of Mich as she navigates her partner Susan's diagnosis of Lewy body dementia, a progressive disease that causes a decline in cognition, movement and function. As her partner slips away, Mich finds support in a group of other elderly lesbian women. One of the watch parties took place on the day Dykewomon passed away.
Writer Sonja Franeta was among those remembering Dykewomon on social media. Franeta wrote, in part, "Look at her name and it says so much. Writer, activist, teacher, lover, leader, warm and sensitive person. Thank you for all you've given us. Sorry you had to go as your first play aired."
According to Sinister Wisdom's website, there will be a celebration of Dykewomon's life on Sunday, Sept. 18, at 5 p.m. CT. For more information, visit http://sinisterwisdom.org/elana.
