Elana Dykewomon, a gregarious, cerebral author, poet and activist who spent decades exploring her identity as both a lesbian and a Jew while working to foster communities of “chosen families” at a far remove from the patriarchy among her fellow lesbians, died on Aug.
7 at her home in Oakland, Calif. She was 72. The cause was complications of esophageal cancer, her brother Daniel Nachman said.
Ms. Dykewomon never achieved widespread commercial success, but her three novels found an ardent following among lesbian readers.
She also published five collections of poetry and short stories and contributed to many lesbian-themed publications. For seven years, starting in 1987, she was the editor of Sinister Wisdom, a lesbian literary journal.