An Autohistoria of Friendship with Gloria E. Anzaldúa

About the Book

David Hatfield Sparks and Randy P. Conner blend memoir with poetry, ritual, and theory to illuminate the history of a diverse, multi-racial, and radical LGBTQ+ community in San Francisco during the 1970s and 1980s.

Beginning their story in a large Noe Valley flat, Sparks and Conner trace how a collective of artists and activists shaped a shared life across lines of race, gender, and sexuality while forging a community linked through prejudice, illness, and loss. The authors mix personal stories with history and cultural memory. They also discuss Anzaldúa’s idea of spiritual mestizaje, a practice for healing and growth that joins Indigenous, African, Latino, European, and Queer traditions. Their idea of El Mundo Zurdo imagines an inclusive world that values diversity and the power of difference to create connections among human beings.

Merging spirituality with activism, An Autohistoria of Friendship with Gloria E. Anzaldúa shares a vision of a more just and caring future.