On the night that 18-year-old Joan Gelfand moved to Berkeley in 1972, she experienced her first riot, as protesters raged down Telegraph Avenue infuriated by President Nixon’s re-election. That was the beginning of a wild ride that soon found Gelfand immersed in a radical scene of lesbian musicians and poets, hippie drag queens, and acid freaks. After suffering the trauma of her father’s death back in New York City, Gelfand found everything she was seeking here in the Bay Area: excitement, refuge, and a tight-knit group of friends and collaborators. 

Her memoir “Outside Voices: A Memoir of the Berkeley Revolution” captures the vibrancy and promise of a radical feminist movement that Gelfand came here to join. It also shares the pain and disillusionment she felt as the scene fractured and consumed itself. Listen to the new episode to hear Gelfand share stories of cheap rent, militant poetry, and women’s empowerment. Find the podcast via Apple, SoundCloud, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts.

East Bay Yesterday can’t survive without your donations. Please make a pledge to keep this show alive: www.patreon.com/eastbayyesterday. Don’t forget to follow East Bay Yesterday’s Substack newsletter to stay updated on upcoming tours, events, and other local history news.

East Bay Yesterday can’t survive without your donations. Please make a pledge to keep this show alive: www.patreon.com/eastbayyesterday. Don’t forget to follow East Bay Yesterday’s Substack newsletter to stay updated on upcoming tours, events, and other local history news.