Research Symposium

BIO

I am a Tallahassee native who has been interested in queer and local history for several years. I hope to graduate in Spring 2023 and maybe attend graduate school in London. I have two cats named Meeko and Davey Jones.

Naiad Press: An LGBT Oral History of Tallahassee

Abstract

This project involves interviewing many people that were involved in Naiad Press, a lesbian publishing company located in Tallahassee. The interviewees were found through personal contacts as well as through public outreach including hanging posters with contact information around town. Participants were invited to be interviewed about their experience with Naiad Press and its founders Donna McBride and Barbara Grier. Employees on the publishing floor, writers, maintenance people, and an owner of a bookstore at which many employees spent their free times have all been interviewed. The end goal of this project is to create a museum exhibit with audio clips and visual aids to tell the story of Naiad Press and the LGBTQ community of Tallahassee.
Although many people had positive experiences with Naiad, Barbara’s fiery personality caused many conflicts and interviews have reflected negative experiences as well. However, regardless of personal feelings, Naiad Press is an integral and overlooked part of Tallahassee’s history. Locally, it was a refuge for many LGBTQ people and a hub for socializing and community building. Nationally and internationally, it became the largest publishing company of its kind and won acclaim for its accomplishments and helped to carve out a larger space for lesbian publishing. Its founders were pillars of their community in many ways. It is hard to overstate the importance of Naiad Press, and the experiences of the people involved in it, but this project hopes to illuminate and share these vital histories.

Keywords: LGBT, Lesbian, Oral History, History, Naiad Press