Leem of Earth, Pensacola, Florida, 2018. Photo by Alin Dragu.
Frequently asked question
What does “Leem” mean?
The name Leem is an extension of the name LM.
When LM first thought of the word “Leem”, she
looked up the definition and found that it is
an agricultural term meaning “a very fine-grained
soil that is plastic when moist but hard when
fired.” (1) There is a specific type of leem
called pottenbakkersklei that is used in making
pottery, and this resonated with LM, as she and
the other members of LoE declare with Isaiah,
“…we are the clay, and You are our Former…”
(Isaiah 64:8, The Interlinear Bible.)
There is an additional definition for leem, and
that is “water soaked soil.” This meaning also
applies. In Chapter One, Leem is a child from a
desert-city - somewhere on future earth - a land
lit by a scorching sun. Inland follows Leem as she
leaves the city: “We have been strangers
here, going through motions and so thirsty for a
drink. We’d do anything...” This search for a
source of water is one of the crucial, underlying
facets of Leem’s protean quest.