Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches

Lorde has been dreaming about Russia for a few weeks since her return from the country, where she spent two weeks in 1976 as an invitee to the African Asian Writers Conference sponsored by the Union of Soviet Writers. During the flight to Moscow, Lorde finds that Russians are no less friendly or helpful than Americans, and she is shocked to find that an elderly Russian woman on the plane does not look at her with hatred (14). Upon arrival at the Moscow airport, she notes the weather, people passing by, and the way that people are expected to handle their own bags (15).

At the hotel and nearby metro station, Lorde finds that Moscow reminds her of New York. Although she is reminded of New York, there are some notable differences, like the station’s cleanliness, women token collectors, and the way that people move through the station (16). There are also no Black people in the station, even though they are in and around the hotel because of the nearby Patrice Lumumba University (17). While in Moscow, Lorde learns about food and drink customs, and she does some tourist activities around the city. She has significant encounters with a woman (unnamed) and a man, Oleg, both from the Union of Soviet Writers (20-21).