Eileen Mueller: Rural Old Lesbian

This semester I want to spend some time researching intentional communities with a close look at lesbian separatist communities. The first source I have come across is a magazine founded in 1983 called "Maize, A Lesbian Country Magazine." I have a PDF of issue number 49, printed in spring of 1996. This publication is dedicated to "lesbians of the land" or "landdykes." It prints reader submissions ranging from poetry, artwork, letters to the editor, marketplace listings, personal stories, advice for living on the land, and even a word puzzle.

Here is a poem I have excerpted called Rural Old Lesbian, by Emma Joy Crone of British Columbia:

R.O.L. has lived in a
Canyon
With many lesbias
in cabins,
Trillium, Star,
Rainbow.
Outdoor living
Clitoria
Outdoor beds
Under the stars.

[....]

R.O.L.
at 49
learned to chop wood
raised a tipi
Discovered her rural self
Had her first Dyke haircut
in a field
Cooked for 12 women
outside
one tap
No stove.
R.O.L.
ate a peyote
in a circle
shared visions
heard stories
Lesbian stories
women's pain
women's joy
singing songs, dusk to dawn.

[....]

R.O.L.
Lives on an island
is 68
Grows herbs, casts spells
Grows smaller gardens, harvests seeds
Dreams dreams of lesbian nation
Lesbian lands.

Found in the same issue of Maize,
this inset image is from the article "Rural Fire Fighting"
written by Dawn Susun of Taigh a'Gharaidh Scotland