ELANA DYKEWOMON

DYKEWOMON- NACHMAN--Elana. Poet, novelist, Jewish lesbian feminist multi-cultural worker and organizer, editor and playwright. Elana died August 7, 2022 at age 72, surrounded by caring womyn and family at her home in Oakland, California. Her work in all its forms illuminated a path of resistance to patriarchy and oppression, and inspired women here and abroad to carve out alternative realities grounded in love and solidarity. Elana personified creativity in action: her substantial body of poems, fiction and essays, her editorship of the multicultural lesbian literary journal Sinister Wisdom, her years of teaching writing at San Francisco State University and most recently her play "How to Let Your Lover Die," debuting just this month, all testify to the energy, intelligence and light she endlessly brought to our world. Her very presence was a joy; to experience Elana's laugh, feel her warmth and compassion was next to magic. Predeceased by her wife Susan Levinkind and parents Rachel and Harvey Nachman, Elana leaves behind and will be remembered by her devoted friends and chosen family Dolphin Waletzky, Eva Schocken and Rhea Shapiro among countless others; brothers Dan and David Nachman, sisters-in-law Jan Hoffman and Amy Schulman, nieces, nephews and many cousins; her beloved dog, Alice B. Toklas; and a strong community of readers enriched by her words and her vision: "I want to imagine a world in which we thrive where difference engages us and root holds fast with root" A zoom memorial will be hosted by SinisterWisdom.org on Sunday, September 18, 2022. For donations in her memory please consult the site.