8. For there are no new ideas: a chain letter republishing of
Audre Lorde’s “Poetry is Not a Luxury”

From For there are no new ideas: a chain letter republishing of Audre Lorde’s “Poetry is Not a Luxury”, 2022
The act of sending mail to a loved one serves as the starting point for For there are no new ideas: A chain letter republishing of Audre Lorde’s “Poetry is Not a Luxury.” I call upon my personal history of letter-writing to explore a slow circulation of ideas, alternative forms of publishing, and the reimagination of an audience.

I am interested in the intimate and performative nature of a chain letter—the act of specifically choosing my audience, allowing my audience to expand the chosen audience, and so on, and so on. Together, my audience and I disseminated “Poetry is Not a Luxury” in a way that grants each participant agency and power in the project, while also allowing the work to grow organically outside of digital sharing platforms.

For there are no new ideas: A chain letter republishing of Audre Lorde’s “Poetry is Not a Luxury” is about creating one big chain letter, but it’s also about moving slowly, connecting with our deepest selves, finding the poetry within, and allowing those we love the space to do the same.

Type: Spectral by Jean-Baptiste Levee
40 pages
8.5 x 11 inches
Reused USPS priority mail packaging
Inkject and Risograph print on 65 lb paper
Metal ring binding

Photos: Erin Crawford

8. For there are no new ideas: a chain letter republishing of Audre Lorde’s “Poetry is Not a Luxury”

8. For there are no new ideas: a chain letter republishing of
Audre Lorde’s “Poetry is Not a Luxury”