Naiad Press Interviews

: Interview with Adrien, August 13, 2021; Adrien (he/him) is a transgender man and activist who worked for Naiad Press during the late 1990s. He discusses the feeling of community and participation in a larger movement at Naiad, and gives a brief discussion of the LGBTQ+ scene in Tallahassee at the time.

: Interview with Alex Jaeger, August 9,2021; Alex Jaeger (she/her/they/them) was an employee of Naiad Press in the 1990s and early 2000s. They discuss learning about Naiad Press through Rubyfruit bookstore and all of the lessons they learned through working for such a well known private press. Alex recalls stories of their coworkers and tales of the days working there and the impact of their time with Naiad through the rest of their personal and professional life.

: Interview with Amy McDonald, July 26, 2021; Amy McDonald (she/her/he/him) worked for Naiad Press and discusses the importance of community and safe spaces created by Naiad, Rubyfruit Books, and LGBTQ+ students at FSU. She describes a typical day working at Naiad Press, common interactions with customers, and the strong personality of Barbara Grier.

: Interview with Candis Creekmore, August 26, 2021; Candis Creekmore (any pronouns) worked for Naiad Press from 1990 to 1996. She discusses their early associations with the press, like the controversial syndication of the book Lesbian Nuns to the magazine Penthouse Forum in 1985, as well as some of the difficulties working for Barbara Grier. He ends with a description of the safe haven found at Naiad, especially as a person in a male-dominated field.

: Interview with Dana Farmer, February 2, 2022; Dana Farmer is an alumnae of Florida State University and has stayed in Tallahassee since finishing her degrees and finding work through the telephone counseling service for suicide prevention for university students at FSU. She went on to working with the telephone counseling services full time and lead it through many changes before it became what is now the 221 of the Big Bend. Dana discusses her relationships with the people in charge of RubyFruit bookstore and Naiad Press. She also discusses the community center built around the womens coffee shop group; which met with each other to watch films, have a potluck, play board games etc.

: Interview with Donna McBride, March 8, 2022; Donna McBride was one of the founders, editors, and owners of Naiad Press. Naiad Press was one of the first, and one of the largest, publishing companies dedicated to lesbian literature. The press was created by, for, and about lesbians. They discuss the beginning of Naiad, and the social culture developed around Naiad Press and Rubyfruit bookstore in Tallahassee.

: Interview with Joan Denman, October 1, 2021; Joan Denman (she/her) owned and operated Rubyfruit Books, an independent bookstore that specialized in LGBT books, from 1983 to 1996. Denman describes the indie bookstore scene in Tallahassee during this period. She discusses book culture, working with Naiad Press, and the bookstore’s involvement in the local lesbian and gay scenes. She talks about the controversial syndication of the book Lesbian Nuns to the magazine Penthouse Forum in 1985, and the resulting fall out.

: Interview with Katherine Forrest, March 2, 2022; Katherine V. Forrest is an author who published her first works with Naiad Press, beginning in 1983. She worked as the senior editor of the press from late 1980s until 2000. She tells stories from her time with the Press and talks about the4 successes and struggles they had as publishers and booksellers. She also touches on starting her career as a writer after 40 years of age with Curious Wine and the world that was open to her through Naiad Press.

: Interview with Rita Mae Reese, July 30, 2021; Rita Mae Reese (she/her) worked for Naiad Press for seven years and begins by emphasizing the cultural siginificance of Naiad, not just for publishing books but also for creating a national community maintained by the personal correspondence between staff and customers. Reese also discusses the political climate of the time and the racial segregation of Tallahassee.

: Interview with Sarah Schulman, March 11, 2022; Sarah Schulman is a Jewish lesbian author who had her first novel published with Naiad Press. She discusses her experiences as an out lesbian author and her work with various publishing companies over the years. They discuss marginalization of lesbian novels vs novels with lesbian characters, publishing abroad, and the different experiences with publishing non fiction, fiction, and erotica. Sarah continues to publish and is also working as a screenwriter for various forms of media including indie films, lesbian pornography, and full feature films.

: Interview with Sheila Ortiz-Taylor, August 20, 2021; Sheila Ortiz Taylor (she/her) is a retired professor and author who published through Naiad Press. She is best known for her 1982 novel Faultline. She discusses negotiating her creative writing as a Chicana lesbian with her academic career at FSU, the vibrant lesbian community in Tallahassee in the 1970s, and her experiences at the intersections of Chicana feminism and lesbianism.

: Interview with Vicki Combs, November 9, 2021; Vicki Combs (she/her) was a co-founder and co-facilitator of Everywoman’s Coffeehouse, a monthly lesbian social event that met at the United Church of Tallahassee during the 1980s and 1990s. She discusses the Coffeehouse and its role in the Tallahassee lesbian scene during these decades. She describes the publications of Naiad Books in the historical context of pulp fiction and other small LGBT presses. She discusses the lack of racial diversity in the Tallahassee lesbian scene, as well as the intersections of disability and lesbianism.

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