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Lorde used poetry to convey confidence amongst minority groups that she felt she was a part of. Lorde considered herself a "lesbian, mother, warrior, poet," and used poetry to get this message across. Her main goal was to empower blacks and lesbians and to encourage everyone to be comfortable in his/her own skin. In 1968, Lorde published The First Cities, her first volumes of poems that has been described as a "quiet, introspective book," focusing mainly on personal issues and feelings.

Lorde's poetry became more open and personal as she continued to age and become more confident in her sexuality. Lorde states in Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches (Crossing Press Feminist Series), "Poetry is the way we help give name to the nameless so it can be thought … As they become known to and accepted by us, our feelings and the honest exploration of them become sanctuaries and spawning grounds for the most radical and daring ideas." Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches (Crossing Press Feminist Series), also elaborates Lorde's challenge toward European-American traditions and what they teach us. She challenges these teachings by stating, "the need for sharing deep feeling is a human need," (Lorde, 1984g, p. 58). Her feelings, expressed in interviews as well as literature, relate to many audiences such as African-Americans, women, and lesbians. In Cables to Rage, it is thought that Lorde writes her first openly lesbian poem. Lorde's personal experiences served as her inspiration for her writings and publishings; growing up as an immigrated parents' child, Lorde learned how to talk and write at the same time around the age of four. Her first writing came when she was in eighth grade. Throughout her education, Lorde used poetry as an outlet.