Nestle, Joan

Scope and Contents In the first interview from 1991, Melissa Thomas talks to Joan Nestle about her role in the Queens College Seek Program; the Lesbian Herstory Archives; her writing career; and her background as a Queens College student and as a lesbian and feminist. Nestle details her experience with the Queens College SEEK community and her lesbian feminist community. She reflects on the negative and positive aspects of teaching a multicultural program in an all white environment, discusses her illness...

Scope and Contents The interview explores Nestle's time at Queens College as a student-activist (1959-1963) and teacher in the SEEK program (1966-1995). She discusses her upbringing in New York, the conservative culture of Queens College, her oft-times combative experiences as a student, as well as her incredibly fulfilling time spent teaching in the SEEK program. Nestle also discusses how being an activist in the civil rights movement was paramount to shaping her role in the gay liberation movement, as...