Michelle Tea is an American author, poet, and literary arts organizer whose autobiographical works explore queer culture, feminism, race, class, sex work, and other topics. She is originally from Chelsea, Massachusetts and has identified with the San Francisco, California literary and arts community for many years. She currently lives in Los Angeles. Her books, mostly memoirs, are known for their exposition of the queercore community.
Naiad Press (1973–2003) was an American publishing company, one of the first dedicated to lesbian literature. At its closing it was the oldest and largest lesbian/feminist publisher in the world.
Bella Books is a small press publisher of lesbian literature based in Tallahassee, Florida.
Tee A. Corinne was an American photographer, author, and editor notable for the portrayal of sexuality in her artwork. According to Completely Queer: The Gay and Lesbian Encyclopedia, "Corinne is one of the most visible and accessible lesbian artists in the world."
Jewelle Lydia Gomez is an American author, poet, critic and playwright. She lived in New York City for 22 years, working in public television, theater, as well as philanthropy, before relocating to the West Coast. Her writing—fiction, poetry, essays and cultural criticism—has appeared in a wide variety of outlets, both feminist and mainstream. Her work centers on women's experiences, particularly those of LGBTQ women of color. She has been interviewed for several documentaries focused on LGBT rights and culture.
Founded in Upstate New York in 1978 by Maureen Brady and Judith McDaniel, Spinsters Ink is one of the oldest lesbian feminist publishers in the world. It is currently owned by publisher Linda Hill, who purchased the Spinsters Ink in 2005. Hill also owns Bella Books and Beanpole Books.
Anna Livia was a lesbian feminist author and linguist, well known for her fiction and non-fiction regarding sexuality. From 1999 until shortly before the time of her death she was a member of staff at University of California, Berkeley.
Carol Anshaw is an American novelist and short story writer. Publishing Triangle named her debut novel, Aquamarine, one of "The Triangle's 100 Best" gay and lesbian novels of the 1990s. Four of her books have been finalists for the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction, and Lucky in the Corner won the 2003 Ferro-Grumley Award.
Margaret Louise Cruikshank is an American lesbian feminist writer and academic. She was one of the first American academics to be out during a time when gay rights were an unfamiliar concept. Cruikshank played a central role in establishing the importance of lesbian studies within both women's studies and the academy through the publication of her edited anthologies.
Jeanne Córdova was an American trailblazer of the lesbian and gay rights movement, founder of The Lesbian Tide, and a founder of the West Coast LGBT movement. Córdova was a second-wave feminist lesbian activist and proud butch.
Aerlyn Weissman is a two-time Genie Award-winning Canadian documentary filmmaker and political activist on behalf of the lesbian community.
Nancy K. Bereano is an American editor and publisher. She founded Firebrand Books, an influential lesbian feminist press, in 1984 and ran it until her retirement in 2000.
Feminist Bookstore News (FBN) was a trade publication for feminist bookstores. It was active from 1976 until 2000, and issues were published sometimes bimonthly and sometimes quarterly. The publication was described by Tee Corinne as "the glue that kept women booksellers around the world together", acting as a network for feminist booksellers and publishers across the United States and transnationally.
Old Wives Tales was a feminist bookstore in the Mission Dolores neighborhood of San Francisco. It was founded on October 31, 1976, by Carol Seajay and Paula Wallace, a lesbian couple. It closed permanently in October 1995.
A Woman's Place was a feminist bookstore in Oakland, California. Opened in 1970, it was one of the first two feminist bookstores in the United States.
The Women in Print Conference was a conference of feminist women involved in publishing, including workers from feminist bookstores, in the United States. It was conceptualized by June Arnold and involved networking and workshops. The conference was held three times: in 1976, 1981 and 1985.
Feminist federal credit unions (FFCUs) are credit unions founded by feminists to address discriminatory practices in banking and loaning. In the United States, feminist credit unions rose to prominence during the 1970s. The first feminist credit union, which is also the oldest women's financial organization, was founded in Detroit, Michigan on August 26, 1973, which is the anniversary of Women's Suffrage. The Detroit FFCU was co-founded by Valerie Angers and Joanna Parrent, who were feminist that sought to create a service for women and controlled by women. The main goal of the FFCU was to offer freedom in banking and loan institutions from discrimination based on sex, marital status, or credit rating of the women's husband or father. Only women reviewed a woman's loan application, and these loans were used for a variety of things such as cars, homes, divorces, abortions, and funding for movements towards self-fulfillment. Women also used their loans to help with other feminist movements. For example, In 1976, Carol Seajay and Paula Wallace received a loan from the San Francisco Feminist Federal Credit Union to start a feminist bookstore called Old Wives Tales. The FFCUs also focused on teaching financial literacy to women who never were allowed to manage money before.
Jess Wells is an American author of modern realism, historical fiction and magical realism. She blogs on under-represented women in history. Wells participated in the foundational years of lesbian and feminist publishing during the time of second-wave feminism in the 1980s and 1990s.
N. Leigh Dunlap is an American graphic designer, actor, illustrator, cartoonist and copywriter. She is best known for her cartoonist contributions named Morgan Calabrese. Throughout her career, Dunlap has published much material surrounding LGBTQ+ activism and was a winner of the 2nd Lambda Literary Award under the humor category.
